New Beginning
by JennlovesHarryPotter
Summary: Something I am writing for the fun and out of boredom. You likely won't enjoy because they are all OC's, so ignore if you hate OC's.
1. Ashley

If you hate OC's you might want to ignore this story. Normally I write real Harry fanfiction where it involves the actual characters from Harry Potter, but this time I feel like writing my own characters going to Hogwarts. This takes place right after DH, like the summer after Voldemort has fallen. So there won't be any Harry Potter characters in here, except if I mention them but my characters won't know any of them personally.

It's just that, I've always wanted to write something like this, just for the fun of it. I was just going to leave it on my computer for me (because I am writing this story for me only) to write, but I want it to work as different chapters. On this site, I can just click the next button and it will go to the next chapter. In the future, I might just make a blog for this story and make it so no one can make comments on it… I haven't found a blog I like yet though.

So for the time being, I am putting this on here. So if you hate this and think because this story is full of OC's that they are all Mary-Sue's then flame it if you want… I'm not writing this for that. I'm doing it because I've always wanted to write one like this. It's just kind of a pointless, boredom thing I am putting up. At the moment, I am searching for a blog that I like for this story to go on, so there is a chance it's probably going to disappear. If you know of any blogs, let me know. But remember, if you truly hate this, all you have to do is press the back button! Oh and this isn't edited either. It's basically hot off the press. So more reason for you to ignore it.

BTW, I do have real Harry Potter stories under this username as well if you're interested. Those are the ones I want reviews for.

---  
I always wondered why odd things happened around me. As a young child, I didn't really notice it because I had a good imagination. When you're a little kid, everything seems to be magical. As I grew older though, I started to realize that I did things that weren't normal, and I couldn't control it.

There were times when I would grow very angry, and suddenly something that defied all logic would happen to me. The other kids at school noticed this as well, and they would give me a wide berth. I've never been made fun of, but I think it's because they were all too scared to bother me. Maybe they thought I would turn them into toads. However, I did notice that they talked about me behind my back.

"Ashley is really really freaky."

"Maybe she is a witch."

"Stupid, there is no such things as witches."

"Well witches are usually ugly… and Ashley is ugly."

No one could argue with that one. Well, they could say the theory is wrong, but what I mean is, no one could argue that I'm ugly. It's something that the kids pointed out, but my mother did as well. She wouldn't come right out and say: You're ugly, but she would mention to her friends that she felt sorry for me.

"I always hoped she would get her looks from my side of the family, but unfortunately, she got it from _his_ side."

'His' meaning my dad, who died when I was six-years-old. My mother never really got along with my father. The only reason they got married was because my mother got pregnant with me, and she already had a nine month old baby. My father decided to do the right thing and marry my mom, adopt my sister Jaime and raise us. That didn't seem to work out too long though, one evening, he was driving home from work and a drunk driver hit him.

So, my mother ended up being a single mom anyway. She dated off and on from the time my dad died to now, but she really hasn't settled down with anyone. To be honest, I don't think she wants to. She tells everyone that although she wasn't happy in either relationship, she got two babies out of it.

I wish Jaime's dad had been mine. She is only thirteen, but she is a beauty! Then again, I have to wonder if I'd have magical powers then. Perhaps the magic came from my dad's side of the family, because my sister isn't magical at all. So I suppose I am lucky in a way… and I live up to the stereotype… witches _are_ ugly.

I'm getting ahead of myself though. It wasn't until towards the end of July that a someone came to explain it all to me. Before that, I led pretty much a normal life, other than the occasional odd magical out burst.

We lived in fear for basically two years before then. It wouldn't be until later that we would understand what was going on. My mum only let my sister and I go to and from school, and that was it. There were odd disappearances, strange disasters and odd people out and about. My mother almost wanted to flee the country to Canada, that's how scary it was. She figured that Canada was far enough away from everything that was happening.

I had many nightmares that I would wake up and find that something bad had happened to my mother and sister. Many times, people would find that half there family members were dead but they weren't sure how it happened. Just on the other side of town, the people were all found dead with terrified looks on their faces, and yet there wasn't anything wrong with them. No one could determine the cause of death.

Then there were the people who were found strange and empty. They couldn't remember who they were or anything. It was as if they lost a part of themselves, and no one could figure out what had happened.

And then suddenly, it all stopped. One day we were all living in fear and the next everything was nice and peaceful again. It wasn't unseasonably cold anymore, it wasn't as foggy, there were no more unexplained deaths… it was just over. It was weeks before anyone wanted to do anything again, because we were all still scared.

Then one morning, almost at the end of July, an elderly lady came to visit us. She has shadows under her eyes; she looked as if she had seen more in her lifetime that gave her nightmares. My mum said she looked haunted. She was in a good mood though. She greeted us all pleasantly as my mother invited her to sit down in the kitchen.

"My name is Minerva McGonagall, I am the temporary Headmistress at a school I teach," she told us. "Now, which one is Ashley?"

My sister and I were both in the kitchen. Of course I didn't tell her it was me, I was dumb enough to raise my hand as if I was six-years-old instead of eleven, turning twelve in a couple of months. I'm kind of shy, so maybe that's why I do odd stuff. My sister would later tease me about it. Minerva, however just gave me a small smile and nodded her head.

Then she began with the speech that would change my life forever. She told us all that I was a witch, and I was invited to study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. At first we all thought this was a joke… who wouldn't? She continued to explain to us that it was all true, and then she proceeded to show us the magic with a wand. It was as if I were dreaming… this stuff didn't happen in real life, did it?

And my mum didn't want me to go. Especially after Minerva explained exactly what all the odd scary stuff that had happened over the past couple two years was.

"I can assure you that Ashley will not be in danger," Minerva said. "The man who caused all of this is dead. We are currently rebuilding the wizarding world back to the way it was. The school is also being rebuilt, and if I must say so myself, it looks better than it ever has."

She continued into the benefits of the wizarding world, but my mother was adamant. She didn't want me to go to a school learning magic because she wanted me to get somewhere in life. However, Minerva must have been used to Muggleborn parents like my mother, because in the end, she managed to convince her that Hogwarts was my future.

"Alright, but the tuition…? I mean, I don't have the money to buy her… whatever it is that she needs. We barely get by each year. I am single mother and raising two girls by myself."

Minerva then handed me a piece of parchment and my mother another while she explained that Hogwarts had funding for students who could afford the supplies.

"You don't have to pay tuition at Hogwarts," Minerva told my mother. "First year is usually the most expensive year because you have to buy everything."

Afterwards, she took us to get my school supplies to a place called Diagon Alley. We went to get my wand first, which I was the most excited about. A wand would allow me to control my magic (unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to do magic outside of school anymore) for real. The man, Ollivander kind of scared me. He looked as if he needed a good meal, and I had to wonder just how old he really was. He could barely walk! However, he was very friendly.

It took a while before I found the right wand, and after a while, I had to wonder if I was indeed magical. However, he handed me a wand that was 9.75" Vine and Ashwinder Ash. I thought it was cool that I had wand that had my name in it… he told me it would be good for Charms.

Afterwards, we went to get robes for me. There were a lot of Hogwarts students there getting there robes. They all greeted Minerva, so they were older. I felt embarrassed because she pointed out to them that I was a new Muggleborn. Normally I like to blend in. It would be nice to know some people before hand, but I didn't like when people stared at me.

After that, we went to get my books, a cauldron, potion supplies, parchment… and if you'll believe it, a quill and ink! I thought quills were used in the olden times. I didn't think I would be able to write with it, I would probably make a mess of myself.

I kind of wanted to explore Diagon Alley more, but Minerva wanted to get us out of there. So right after we got everything we needed, we left. I think my mother and sister were relieved…

I spent the rest of my holidays reading my books. It is now the night before I go, and I am terrified. It's twelve am now, and I can't sleep. What if I am not good at magic? What if I fail my first year? Not only that, but Hogwarts is a boarding school! I am actually going to be living there. Thankfully, I am taking my cat Scrappy with me but I still can't help but still feel afraid. There is just so much about that world I don't know about.

Plus there is the stuff that Minerva told us about. Magic isn't always used for good stuff. That Lord Volmore guy I guess used it for bad stuff. Minerva didn't even like saying his name, that's how scared she was. I have a feeling she didn't tell us everything about it either. All she really said was that he was the one behind all the bad stuff that happened, and some boy named Harry Potter killed him. But… it's just kind of scary that magic is used for that kind of stuff.

I'm excited as well though. I wasn't really looking forward to going to secondary school. My sister told me that the people there can be jerks, and they probably would have been mean to me. Not only because of the magic, but because I am not pretty. Jaime has no problem telling me to my face that I'm ugly, and if my own sister can say that…

Then again, what if the kids at Hogwarts say the same thing?


	2. Ben

"Get up!"

"Ugh," I complained.

"Come on Ben, move it!"

I buried myself deeper under the covers, but then they were pulled right off of me. Why were they bothering me? It's summer… no wait. Sometimes when you are half a sleep you don't really think about much. So it didn't really dawn on me right away that it was September first, and that I, Ben Hoofer was finally old enough to go to Hogwarts.

I've been waiting to go since I was six years old, and Barry, my oldest brother was going. A year after he went, Brenda went, and then two years after she went, by sister Breanne went. I had to wait three years after her before it was my turn. Although I kind of have to admit that I'm glad I wasn't at Hogwarts last year, or the year before… and maybe even the year before that. The last three years at Hogwarts were apparently hell!

Well, I know for sure that last year was bad. My mum and dad had wanted to pull my sisters and brother out. They were actually talking about going into hiding once the school year was over, but that didn't have to happen. I'm glad that You-Know-Who is dead, and that I can have a normal scare-free year at Hogwarts.

Last year, I spent most of my time terrified that something would happen to one of my siblings. They spent the year terrified that something would happen to me, my mother and father. Death was something I heard about every day. If my parents wanted us to have a carefree childhood, they were certainly disappointed.

The last year, I felt as if I were five-years-old again. I wasn't allowed to go anywhere without their permission, I had to be in before dark, I couldn't do anything that normal children my age were allowed to do on their own… not that I really wanted to. I didn't admit to my parents, because I am too old to be scared, but I was.

My sisters and brother didn't make it easy either because they were part of some group called the DA last year. I don't know too much about it, except that they were a group that wanted to fight You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters. Breanne and Brenda didn't get that opportunity, they had to leave with the rest of the underage students, but Barry was of age, and he fought in The Battle of Hogwarts.

We thought he was dead. My parents heard what was going on at Hogwarts through a friend, so they went to Hogsmeade (they made me stay home, I was angry about that, I wanted to go) to see what they could do. They managed to find my sisters, and my mum brought them home. Dad stayed to look for Barry, and for hours, we didn't know what was going on, or they were alive.

It wasn't until early morning that they came home to take us to Hogwarts. A lot of Barry's friends were killed during the battle, so he was quite upset about it. We went so we could learn more about what was going on though. Harry Potter was there, and I tried to go and see him, but my mother stopped me from going over.

"He just defeated the most evil wizard of all time," she scolded. "Leave him alone."

But I wanted to thank him for it. However, he seemed to have somehow disappeared, so I didn't get the chance. When we went home later, my mum yelled at Barry. She was proud of him, but she was also angry at him.

"How dare you scare us like that! We didn't know if you were alive or-"

"I did what I had to do," Barry interrupted. "I fought for all of our rights. Anyone seventeen or older was allowed to stay, so I stayed. Now Ben can go and have a peaceful first year, and so can anyone else. Muggleborns can come back to Hogwarts again."

A lot of them would never see Hogwarts though. I felt bad for the Muggleborns who were supposed to be first years last year. They never had the chance to see Hogwarts. It didn't seem right at all, and if I were old enough, I probably would have fought as well.

Instead, I am part of the new class of first years who get to start at Hogwarts after the war. And I was excited to go. So, as soon as I realized that it was my first day of school, I hurried out of bed to get ready. It was Brenda who felt the need to wake me up.

"Nice PJ's," she smirked. "Are you going to wear those at Hogwarts."

"No," I snapped and I looked down at them.

They were covered in Hippogriffs, and they were at least three years old. All of my other clothes were packed in my trunk, so I'd grabbed the only pair of pajamas I could find that could still fit me last night. I could be a jerk and mention that Brenda still had a pair of pink one with unicorns on them (Brenda is a tom boy, but secretly she likes girly things… she could kill me if I ever mentioned it to anyone) that she still wore over the holidays, but I didn't.

Instead, I shooed her out so I could dress into proper clothes. Once I was ready, I hurried downstairs where my mother was serving everyone breakfast. For most of the morning, I had to endure her talk about how it was my first year at Hogwarts. It was Barry's last year, so why couldn't she spend the time talking about how much _he _had grown up.

"Aw, is Benny wenny going to miss mummy?" Barry asked.

"Does Barry warry like his nose?" I retorted as I pulled out my wand.

"You can't do magic outside of school," Barry said. "However, I can," and he pulled out his own wand.

"Actually, it doesn't count until I've been at Hogwarts," I told him. "I still can do magic without getting in trouble."

"Actually you can't," mum said, and she pulled my wand from my hand.

I would get him when I got to school, and learned some magic. I would sneak into his dormitory while he slept to do it.

My entire family has always been in Ravenclaw house, so I know I will be too. They've also always been Prefects, or Heads. At the moment, Barry was wearing a Head Boy badge on his shirt, and Brenda had a prefect badge on hers. I was sure next year that Breanne would be made prefect. I'm not really sure if I want to be a prefect. I'm not exactly goody-goody. It's hard to be when you have three older siblings who pick on you when they can. I can't really see myself as an authority figure though.

Maybe I'll be the different Hoofer child. We're all too much alike, so someone has to be different. We even all have brown hair, and brown eyes… including my mum, and she isn't a real Hoofer. Maybe my father didn't want to break the trend and end up having a blond or something. Not that I'd want to be blond. But I did want to be different from the rest of the family.

After we finished breakfast, we got ready to leave. Of course the girls had to double check everything before we left. Didn't mum tell them to do that last night? Once I am at Hogwarts, I think I am going to separate myself from the girls.

We don't live to far from Kings Cross station, so it didn't take long for us to get there once we got going. It took us a while to get to our platform though. The Hogwarts Express was on Platform's nine and three quarters, which was hidden my Muggles eyes. The trick was to run through the barrier without letting them see you. So, of course since I was new at this… mum made me go first.

I closed my eyes, and I ran straight for the barrier, clutching my trolley cart. Either I was going to run into someone and cause a scene or I would make it. I was going with the former… but no, when I opened my eyes, I saw that I was standing in front of the Hogwarts Express, and no had gotten in my way.

I noticed a plain looking girl with brown hair and brown eyes glancing anxiously around, with a woman and a pretty girl. I figured they were muggles, because they looked out of place. One of the girls was probably Muggleborn (secretly I was hoping the pretty girl was, and that she was a first year) I didn't get much chance to look though, because the rest of my family appeared.

Barry decided to help me find a compartment right away. Luckily we found an empty one, so that's where I went. I didn't feel comfortable with asking a group of strangers if I could sit with them. After that, I had to say a quick good-bye to my parents before I sat down for good. Afterwards, I nervously waited in my compartment for the train to go.


	3. Ellen

"Could you please not act like… well, you?" I asked my little brother.

He was such a little embarrassment at times. Okay, I know he is only six-years-old and he can't help it, but still. When we are in public, can't he just behave? Mum swatted _me _on the back of the head and told me to be nice. It's hard to be nice to a little pest, and she always takes his side. It doesn't matter what he does, as soon as I yell at him, it's me who gets in trouble.

That's why I am thankful that I am finally starting school. It seemed to me, that it took forever for me to turn eleven years old, and there was a while there when I thought I wasn't even going to go. When You-Know-Who took the wizarding world over completely, my family went into hiding.

Even though it was scary, I have to wonder if spending all our time together was the reason why we didn't get along. My parents spent most of the time lately fighting, and they were like that before. In fact, sometimes I felt sick with the affection that they used to show for each other because they were scared. That was during the beginning months of hiding, but after that, they fought a lot.

Timmy was always on my case, and he always wanted me to play with him. We stayed at my house, but my dad did the fidie charm… or something like that… whatever it was, it kept us hidden because my dad was the secret keeper. Most of my days were spent in the toy room entertaining a five year old. Timmy didn't have the same fear that my parents and I had, but then again, he was so young. He didn't understand exactly what war was.

It was a relief when it was all over. Luckily, our neighbourhood seemed to miss You-Know-Who's reign of terror, so most of Timmy's friends were still around. So thankfully, he spent the summer playing with them, and I could go back to spending my time by myself. There weren't any kids my age in my neighbourhood, so I've been always a loner, but I've never really minded.

Now that I am starting Hogwarts though, I am so hoping to find some friends. And I am lucky enough to be going when Hogwarts isn't going to be so scary. I am so glad I wasn't old enough to go last year, and I feel sorry for the people who had been there. I heard about what happened, and I can't even imagine living that way. I was lucky that my parents decided to go into hiding.

So, after letting out an aggravated sigh, I went onto the train, and had my father follow me to find a compartment. I found one with a boy (who was kind of cute) inside and asked my dad to put my trunk inside. I stepped off the train for a moment to let my mum do her tearful good-bye, give my brother a pat on the head and say bye to my dad.

"Don't wait for the train to go," I told them before I hurried back onto the train.

In the compartment I'd found, another boy had joined. I sighed, great, I was going to be stuck with two boys the whole way there. I entered the compartment, and sat down across from them.

"What's your name?" The boy with black hair and blue eyes asked me… he wasn't as cute as the other boy, but he was okay.

"Ellen, Ellen Perenge," I answered. "What's yours?"

"Devon Smith," he answered.

"Ben Hoofer," the other boy answered before I could ask.

"Hoofer?" I asked. "Are you serious?"

Oops. The thing about first impressions is that you only get to make one… and I'm sure Ben didn't think much of me after that comment. He just gave a small shrug and looked out the window.

"Is Perenge seriously your last name?" He asked as he glared out the window.

"I'm sorry," I said. "That came out wrong, it's just that I've never heard of that name… ever."

"Well, I've never heard of the last name Perenge… ever," Ben retorted.

Luckily, a short girl with long red hair entered the compartment with a trunk, so it ended that conversation. I wondered if Hogwarts had a course that taught people how to talk to people without offending them. I really wanted to make friends at Hogwarts, and so far I had blown it. I didn't say much as the boys helped the new girl put her trunk in the luggage rack.

"I'm Tara," the girl said afterwards. "Tara Cretins."

We all introduced ourselves to her. A few moments later, the train began to move.

"So… are you all first years as well?" Tara asked.

I nodded but didn't say anything, I was still feeling embarrassed about what had happened with Ben. By that point, I wasn't sure if the boys were first years, but they both nodded.

"Good," Tara said. "So, what House are you hoping to be in? Wait, is anyone here Muggleborn?"

"Half-blood," Devon said. "My mum is Muggleborn, so if you have a problem with them-"

"Of course not," Tara snapped. "I just figured that if anyone was muggleborn, than they wouldn't know what I was talking about. Anyway, I am hoping to be a Ravenclaw. I am smart, so that's where I will be. No way will I be in Slytherin… and definitely not Hufflepuff. I'd settle for Gryffindor, but I'm very sure that I'll be Ravenclaw."

Devon just gave a shrug. "My parents were Gryffindor, so likely I will be too."

This Tara girl seemed kind of conceited. What was wrong with Hufflepuff? My mother was a Hufflepuff in her school days, and there wasn't anything wrong with her. My dad was a Gryffindor, so I figure I will be one or the other. I couldn't see myself being a Ravenclaw, I am not the studios type, and I most definitely wouldn't be Slytherin. So that's what I told them.

"Probably Ravenclaw," Ben said in a bored voice.

"Ooh, so are you smart then?" Tara asked.

"I expect so, but who knows," Ben said. "My siblings and my parents were all Ravenclaws, so I probably will be too."

Ben didn't seem too happy about this. Maybe he wanted to be in a different house. Whatever it was, I figured I would ask… maybe make up for the poor impression I'd made in the beginning.

"You don't want to be Ravenclaw?" I asked.

"To be honest, I don't really care. I mean, I expect I will be. My family has always been in Ravenclaw, but maybe I will be the different one. I don't really care what house of the four I end up in," he answered.

"You mean… you'd want to be in Slytherin?" Tara asked in disbelief. "They're all bad people."

"Oh they are not," Ben snapped.

At least I wasn't the only one making a bad impression with Ben.

"The Death Eaters came from all four houses," he said. "Maybe there was a lot from Slytherin, but not every witch or wizard that ends up there turns out bad."

"Yeah but… I heard that last year, none of the Slytherin's stayed to fight," Devon said. "They all left."

"And they wanted to turn Harry Potter in," Tara added.

"One Slytherin," I said. "Not all of them, one."

I wasn't sure if I agreed with Ben or not. I suppose it wouldn't be fair to accuse a whole house of being dark though. It wasn't the entire house that turned Harry in though, it was some Seventh Year girl who did it. And according to my parents, some people snuck back in, so maybe some of the Slytherin's did.

"Well, maybe I'll make a difference this year," Ben said.

I stared at him with shock… was he going to try and get into Slytherin house?


	4. Michael

Starting at a new school is always hard. I figured it would be harder this time because I am a Muggleborn student first of all, so I am going to a place where everyone knows about magic. I knew virtually nothing at all… and my parents didn't seem to care. Oh they care about my well being of course, but they were just relieved that I was going to school where they wouldn't have to put any money into it.

I grew up in a two bedroom shack. Neither of my parents work, and I've always had to go to school wearing second hand clothes that are usually outdated by at least ten years. One thing about going to Hogwarts that isn't different: I am taking second hand stuff, but the thing that is different? It's only my books. For the first time in my life, I have new clothes.

Hogwarts has a special fund for people who can't afford to pay for schooling. Some teacher Minerva whatever, came to tell my family that I was magic. Most families would be shocked by this thing, but my parents barely noticed. The only thing they wanted to know was, how much would it cost? When they found out that I could use the schools money, they were all for it.

So, I arrived at Kings Cross Station dragging a second hand trunk, and wearing the school robes. I wouldn't find until later that people usually wait to change into the school uniform on the train. So of course, I was standing by myself (my parents didn't want to take me… so I had to get a cab with some of my own money) looking around the station, while people looked at me funny.

It took me forever to find the platform and by the time I got on it, everyone was basically boarded. Luckily, some kind man decided to help me out. Then I had the task of trying to find a compartment that wasn't full. I finally found one with a pretty blond twins, and a plain looking girl in it.

"You're awfully tall," one of the twins said as I put my trunk in the luggage rack.

That was something else about me… I had a growth spurt the year before, so I've always been taller than the people my own age. My parents are on the tall side though, so I guess that explains it. Most people mistake me as fourteen instead of eleven, which I just turned in June.

"I know," I answered as I sat down beside the plain looking girl who was staring out the window now as the train lurched forward.

"So are you first year or fifth year or-" the girl began

"Or seventh year!" Her twin finished off and giggled.

"I'm first year," I answered. "And before you ask, yes I'm eleven."

"Oh Shelly, we offended him," the one on the right said.

"We were just joking around," Shelly said. "You're tall, but you're young looking. What's your name?"

"Michael Henson," I answered.

"I'm Shelly," Shelly said and pointed at her sister. "That's Sheila. Most people can't tell us apart, but it's easy enough after a while. I have a scar right by ear," and she moved her hair to show me. "I fell down the steps when I was a younger. I think our mother was thankful for it though, because it was easier for her to tell us apart."

"So… are you first years then?" I was meaning all the girls in the compartment since the girl with brown hair hadn't spoken yet.

"Yes we are, and we're Muggleborns too, so this all so new to us! We always knew there was something odd about us… we did weird things but we didn't think we were witches!" Sheila said.

"There is a chance that we aren't though…" Shelly said. "Our mum didn't really know our dad too well, you see. It was kind of… drunk thing, if you know what I mean. So our dad could have been a wizard, but we don't know."

"So we just say we're Muggleborn," Sheila said. "It's better that way."

I glanced over at the other girl who continued to look out the window. The twins looked over at her too.

"We tried to get her to talk, but she didn't say much," Shelly told me. "We think she's shy."

"We don't bite," Sheila told the girl… "Well, he might, I'm not really sure."

And they laughed.

"I don't bite," I said.

"My name is Ashley, and I'm Muggleborn," she said.

And that's all we got out of her for the rest of the trip. The twins were funny, and I was kind of hoping I'd be in the same house as they were. Although they were Muggleborn, they seemed to know a lot about Hogwarts. They knew what the four houses were, they knew all about the war that took place last year.

"We think we'll be in Gryffindor," Shelly informed me. "We're not ambitious, we're not hard-workers and we are definitely not the study brown nosing type, so that leaves Gryffindor, and we're not wimps. Gryffindor is for the brave people only."

"Maybe I'll be Slytherin," I said, I was definitely ambitious.

"Oh no, you won't," Sheila said quickly. "Muggleborns don't get into Slytherin."

"Why?" I asked.

"Salazar Slytherin, the founder of the house didn't want them in his. It was the reason why he left the school. There was a big fight I guess, and he left."

"How do you know that?" I asked.

I thought the twins had said that the founders were from a thousand years ago.

"Hogwarts A History," they said at the same time.

"Our mum insisted we get it so we could learn more about the school. It was too long and boring, but we learnt a few things from it. It's interesting to know that witches and wizards have been around for that long, and maybe even longer."

I felt nervous as the day went on. When the train finally started to slow down later when it was dark, I noticed the girls were nervous as well. In fact, Ashley had gone pale by that point.

What was I getting myself into?


	5. The Sorting

Ashley

It was a long train ride, where I didn't speak at all I might add… well no I told the people in my compartment my name, and that I was Muggleborn but that all. I did want to speak, I'm sure they thought I was snobby, or anti-social, but my usual shyness got in the way. I really had no hopes in ever making friends. Maybe I was meant to be a loner.

Anyway, after the train ride, I was thankful to get off. We were led from the train by a giant (nothing surprised me anymore…) down a steep path to a lake, where a castle sat on a mountain across from the lake. The only time I'd ever seen a castle was on television, so this was amazing. I couldn't believe that I was actually going to live in a castle. It seemed my life had turned to every muggle kids dream come true.

There were boats for us to climb into, the giant told us only four to a boat, so I decided to follow the twins and Michael. Even though I hadn't spoken to them, I felt a little more comfortable with them then I did with anyone else.

After the boat ride, we followed the wizard to up the steps of the castle to the doors. The man knocked three times and then the doors were opened by a midget, elf like man. He even had a squeaky voice, but he had a kind face. He too seemed to have the haunted look that Minerva had had.

We followed him into the Entrance Hall, which was so big that I was sure my entire house could fit into it. He led us past a door where hundreds of voices filtered out, to a small chamber where he had us all gather around. I think everyone stood closer than they normally would to each other. I know I did, I wasn't sure who I was leaning against but by that point I didn't care. My legs were shaking so much, and I felt like I was going to throw up. Why did I have a feeling that we were going to end up in front of the entire school?

The man introduced himself as Professor Flitwick. He explained to us about the four houses before he left us alone. As soon as he went through a door (one we hadn't come in through) people began to whisper.

"How do you suppose we are sorted?" Someone asked.

"By a hat," someone else said.

"Don't be stupid," the same person snapped.

"I'm not. We're seriously sorted by a hat."

"Well, I know a lot of spells so in case we have to do any-"

"We don't have to do any spells Tara, all we are doing is trying on a hat!"

"Well, I'm just saying in case we _do _have to, I know a lot of spells. I can do every spell that first years know."

"Oh you cannot. I can't wait until we get started just so you can stop lying."

"You just wait Devon, you'll be so surprised by how smart I am that-"

"Oh quit bragging. You're really getting on my nerves. I hope whatever house I am in, you won't be in it."

"You'll probably be _Hufflepuff_!"

"I don't care if I'm in Slytherin, as long as it's not Ravenclaw since that is where you think you're going."

I couldn't help but laugh. It was between the person I was leaning against (it was a boy, I just couldn't see who because it was dark) a girl, some boy named Devon, and another girl. The boy I was leaning against was the one who said that we were sorted by the hat, and was the one who told Tara that we wouldn't have to any spells… thank god. The girl was the one who said she didn't care what house she ended up in, as long as it wasn't Ravenclaw.

Some other people laughed as well, while others told them to shut up. A few moments later, Professor Flitwick returned, so the argument ended. He had us line up, and then he led us into the Great Hall were there five tables set up. Behind us, was a teachers table whole in front of us were four tables lined up vertically. They were all filled with students, who were all staring at us.

The boy who told Tara that we were sorted by a hat was right, Professor Flitwick led us to a stool, where a burnt hat sat. Once we were stopped, every eye fell on the hat, so I looked as well. After a few moments, a rip in the brim opened up and the hat began sing:

So another year has started

This is a new beginning for us all

So this year I plead

For all of the houses to finally unite

The last year should have taught us all

That when working together

We can triumph over evil

I know this well

For I was there to witness

Take a look at me and see

For I was put on fire

But here I sit despite that

To sort another year

So I ask that you remember

Even though I must quarter again

Gryffindor was brave and daring

They still are to this day

Ravenclaw was clever and witty

They'll always fit in there

Hufflepuff are the just and loyal

Their loyalty will always show

Slytherin was ambitious and cunning

And this will help you to the end

With Hogwarts as a united front

We can overcome evil

The final battle proved that

So today, even though you are divided

Remember we are strong as one!

The Great Hall broke out into applause. I didn't clap right away, I was still shaking. I was worried as well, I wouldn't fit into either of those houses. Would they send me home? Professor Flitwick called the twins up first, their last names were Andrew. They were both sorted into Gryffindor. The Tara girl was sorted into Ravenclaw. It took a while to get to the D's, but I relieved when he finally called:

Dunning, Ashley

I walked up to the hat with shaky legs. I sat down on the stool, and Professor Flitwick dropped the hat on my head. Thankfully it covered my eyes, so I didn't have to worry about seeing people staring at me. I jumped as a voice whispered in my ear.

_Hmm loyalty is your biggest trait I see… but you are very shy. You must open up more. Your main wish is to make friends. I believe that the best place for you to do so is _HUFFLEPUFF!

I was the first one to be sorted into Hufflepuff house so, I had a lot of unwanted attention by the students there. They all leaned over to shake my hand, or to congratulate me. I was thankful when the next person was called up.

Michael

Why did I have to have a last name in the H's. There was nothing I hated more then to stand up in front of a bunch of people. I watched as the twins were sorted into Gryffindor, where they wanted to be. Then the anti-social girl, Ashley was the first person to be sorted into Hufflepuff, and I wasn't surprised. About seven people were sorted before I was finally called up.

Henson, Michael

I hurried up to the stool, and placed the hat on my head.

_Ah let's see here, an insecure boy I can see…_

Yeah well, can you blame me?

_No… not at all, but you shouldn't be ashamed. Now let's see here, although I think you could be Gryffindor material, or even Slytherin, I think the house that would help you out is: _HUFFLEPUFF!

Great. Just perfect. I believe the hat put me into Hufflepuff because it thought I would make friends there. How am I supposed to make friends with Miss Anti-Social? It should have put me in Gryffindor with the twins.

I sighed and made my way to the table. Thankfully two boys had been added to Hufflepuff since Ashley was sorted, so I took the seat beside them. She was the only first year on one side of the table, while the two boys had sat down on the other. Perhaps they also knew that there was no point in talking to her. She glanced at me before she looked back at the sorting where a Ben was called up.

Ben

Hoofer, Benjamin

For the record, I hate the name Benjamin. I wasn't looking forward to this. Tara had been so sure that she would be sorted into Ravenclaw, and she ended up there. Now I was going to be stuck with her for seven years. Fantastic. I made my way up to the stool, and sat down so that Flitwick could put the hat on my head.

_The only place you belong is _HUFFLEPUFF!

Wait what?

What the hell?

Okay, there is nothing wrong with Hufflepuff, it's just how can that be the only house I belong in. I made my way to the clapping table. The hat barely spent ten seconds on me. Don't all Hoofer's end up in Ravenclaw? Okay, so I said I wanted to be different from the rest of my family, and I didn't want to be with Tara, but how can Hufflepuff be the only house for me.

I shook my head and walked over to sit down beside a girl with brown hair. One of the boys who was sitting across from me was shaking his head and gesturing for me to sit with him.

What? I mouthed.

"Sit here, she's anti-social," he said.

I glanced over at the girl who looked down into her lap. Her face was red. I frowned at the boy and shook my head. What was his problem? We had barely been at Hogwarts for a half-hour and already he was picking on people. I rolled my eyes. People like that were annoying.

I'd never been to school, as a pure-blood, my parents decided to home school me. However, I have played with other kids my age plenty of times. I'd met people like the boy who was sitting across from me. They bothered people because they were insecure about themselves. I thought it was quite low to pick on someone on their first day of school.

I ignored him and looked up to see the next person being sorted.

Ellen

I hate having my last name in the P's. In primary school, I always had to wait forever to be called because of it. Now, I had to stand up in front of hundreds of people and wait again. I kept my eyes on the ceiling, which was bewitched to look like the sky. It was a cloudless night, so I could see into space for eons. What a beautiful night.

The Great Hall was magnificent. It was lit by thousands of floating candles, so there was an olden day's look to it. The tables had golden plates on them, which seemed to glow brighter than the candles. I couldn't wait to try the food. My mother told me that the feast was to die for, and I believed her.

I wished they would hurry up and get to me. At the moment, I was very sure that I didn't want to be Ravenclaw, but I doubted I had the chance. Tara had been sorted into Ravenclaw, and if I have to share a dormitory with her for seven years, I will kill myself. I mean seriously. I have never met a more obnoxious person in my life. I would rather be sent home then be in the same house as her.

Perenge Ellen

"Aw… she's so small!"

I think I'm the shortest in the first year. I'm about a head shorter than most of the people, and probably at three heads shorter than the one kid who was sorted into Hufflepuff. Was he even a first year?

"Fuck off," I muttered as I made my way up to the stool.

Once I was seated, Professor Flitwick out the hat on my head.

_Hmm you seem to have a cunning attitude, and also a lot of bravery. There is a lot of loyalty in you as well… so where to put you…_

As long as it isn't Ravenclaw, I don't care.

_Oh you don't belong in Ravenclaw, don't worry about that… not even close. _

Gee thanks.

_No… I believe the best house for you is _HUFFLEPUFF!

So I was put in the house that my mother had been sorted into. I didn't mind. I made my way over to the Hufflepuff table. There were a couple of people beside Ben, but I walked over and asked if they could move over a bit. At least I had someone friendly to sit with. I wouldn't mind becoming friends with Ben, even if he was a boy.

I was relieved just to be sorted though… and not with Tara. Luckily, I would be able to avoid her for seven years if I wanted.


	6. First Day of Classes

**Ashley**

The next morning, I was awoken early by an alarm clock, though I hadn't set one. I yawned as I sat up, and remembered where I was. I couldn't help but feel excited. I would finally be able to do magic with my wand. I quickly hurried out of bed, and went to my trunk to find my school robes. I then went to the bathroom to shower.

I never used to shower before school started, but my sister told me that I would have to start. She went into a long lecture about puberty… and blah blah basically, she told me that I didn't want to be the stinky kid in class. Apparently at age twelve (I would be twelve, September fifth) you needed to wash more. I didn't mind, I hadn't exactly been dirty. However, Jaime is one of the most popular people in her class, so I should take her advice.

When I was done, and I'd brushed my teeth. I stood in front of the mirror, brushing out my hair. A small blond girl moved over the mirror beside me and began to brush her own hair.

"I'll be glad when I know a drying spell," she sighed.

Yeah really. My hair is terrible. It's naturally wavy, but depending on the weather, it will frizz. With the castle as damp as it was, I was counting on it to frizz when it was dry. I didn't say anything, though I knew I should. The hat told me I had to open up more.

"Ugh, I hate my hair so much," she said as she brushed it out.

"Me too," I murmured. "I mean, I hate my own hair… not yours…"

Why am I an idiot?

She seemed to ignore this though.

"Not everyone can have the perfect hair I guess though, right?" She asked.

"My sister does," I said. "She has the perfect hair, the perfect face… the perfect everything."

"What year is she in?"

"Oh, she's a muggle. I had magical powers, but she didn't. She's thirteen, she'll be fourteen in January. I'll be twelve soon, so she's about a year and a half older than me."

I was babbling on, but I couldn't help it. Either she didn't notice, or she didn't seem to care.

"Must be nice to have an older sister though. All I have is a pesky little brother. I was so glad to get away from him. He's six, so I won't have to deal with him for a while… thank goodness."

I shrugged. I would rather have a younger brother then a sister who was so popular and perfect. I began to describe my sister for some reason as we left the bathroom. Just as we left, the five other girls entered. There were a lot of people in the dorm. There were seven girls all together and I believed eight boys. According to the older Hufflepuff's it was a larger crowd than usual. I remembered them mentioning that the night before.

"Well…" the girl said slowly, "you are magical. That's something your sister has that you don't."

"True," I sighed.

"I'm Ellen by the way," she said.

"I'm Ashley," I said.

Was I making a new friend? I really hoped so. Then Michael Henson wouldn't be able to call me anti-social anymore. I think he already had a couple of the guys against me, and I didn't understand why. Just because maybe I don't want to be his friend, he is going be a jerk? Well, it's not that I didn't want to be his friend (I definitely don't want to be now) but I was shy. Am I not allowed to feel nervous at a new school?

"Come meet Ben," Ellen said as we left the dormitory. "I told him to wait for me up in the common room, but maybe he isn't ready yet. Aren't the tunnels cool?"

To get to the Hufflepuff dorms, you had to go through tunnels concealed by doors that looked like barrel tops. There was a main one for the girls, and a main one for the boys. The tunnel sloped downward until it broke off into seven smaller tunnels in different directions. The first year dormitory was the tunnel in the middle. They weren't too wide, the smaller tunnels, so you could only really go one at time in single file.

"I wonder what the other dorms look like," I said.

"Gryffindor just has two different staircases that go to their dorms, my dad told me. It's in one of the towers, that's why."

We entered the main tunnel, just as some of the older girls were leaving their dorms, so there was a bit of a line up as people moved through the tunnel. It took a few moments before we made it to the Common Room, which looked like a persons basement, but more comfortable. There was an assortment of chairs through out the room, with tables as well. There were yellow hangings with badgers to represent Hufflepuff.

Ben was sitting in one of the chairs by himself. He looked rather bored as he waited.

"It's about time," he said when we walked over to him.

"This is Ashley," Ellen said ignoring his comment.

"I know," he said and he smiled at me. "How are you?"

"Good," I answered shyly.

"Ashley's shy," Ellen said, which embarrassed me.

"I noticed that too," Ben said. "Well come on. You two took your sweet time, I bet we're late."

"Ooh, the Ravenclaw's already worried about missing class?" Ellen teased.

"Apparently I'm not Ravenclaw material… at all. The hat told me that I didn't belong anywhere but Hufflepuff," Ben complained.

"Yes I know, you complained about it last night, but we Hufflepuffs aren't so bad, are we?" And she nudged me.

"Some of us are," I said thinking about Michael.

We left the Common Room. I didn't remember the way, but luckily Ben seemed to because he led the way through the corridors. I sighed and tried to think of what else to say. I didn't want Ben and Ellen to think of me as anti-social as well.

**Ellen**

I could tell that Ashley was shy, the night before at the feast, she hadn't said much. That could have been because of the idiot, Michael who kept taunting her because she wasn't talking. It was really annoying; did he really think he could get friends by making fun of someone? How did someone like him get into Hufflepuff house anyway? I thought Hufflepuffs were loyal and true…

I decided I would help bring her out of her shell though. I needed a girl friend anyway. On the train, I didn't think I'd be friends with Ben, especially after I basically insulted him as soon as we met. Mainly it's because I didn't think I would be friends with a boy. However, we seemed to hit it off after a while, and then at the feast, we got along as if we were old friends.

I was glad to find an opportunity that morning when I found that she was the only girl in the bathroom so far. The rest of the girls stayed in bed and grumbled about not wanting to be awake. Why not? We were finally starting school. It was lucky that Ben hadn't befriended the other ones then.

Anyway, when I found her alone that morning, I decided to talk to her. She wasn't as anti-social as Michael tried to say she was, she was just incredibly shy. As long you kept trying to talk to her, she was fine. I managed to have a conversation with her at any rate. Maybe she just didn't want to be friends Michael who looked taller than a normal first year.

Ben pulled out of his grumpy mood about us taking a while when we sat down to eat in the Great Hall. I think it's true for all guys, as long as you give them food, they are happy. He piled his plate right full of bacon and eggs before he started to chow down. Ashley and I exchanged looks.

"Pig," I muttered.

"I'm a growing boy, shut up," he said and then grinned at me. "Maybe you should eat more, and then you'll grow."

"Whatever, I'd gain twenty pounds if I ate that much," I muttered as poured myself a bowl of cereal.

"Well you probably need to anyway," Ben commented.

"No way," I answered.

"You probably do," Ashley suddenly piped up. "How much do you weigh anyway? Sixty pounds?"

I was so surprised by her comment, that I wasn't sure what to say at first… and she probably shouldn't be talking anyway. She was taller than me, but she was skinny as well. She looked as if she could gain a few pounds. So did Micheal, I noted as he sat down beside Ben, across from Ashley. He was a bean pole.

"Hopefully none of the classes we have requires a person to talk," he said as he piled his plate as full as Ben had piled his. "We wouldn't want Miss Anti Social to talk."

"Give it a rest will you?" Ben asked.

"Or come up with something new," I said.

"I was actually talking before you got here," Ashley said, and her face went red. She quickly looked down at her lap.

"Wow, she does talk," Michael said.

"What is your problem anyway?" Ben asked. "I mean seriously."

"She sat with me, and the twins on the train, but she wouldn't talk to us," Michael said.

"And?" I asked.

He didn't seem to have anything to say that, instead, he started to shovel his food into his mouth. I shook my head and began to eat my cereal. Before long, the rest of the Hufflepuff first years started to join us. There were a lot of us; my mother had told me that usually there were only five or so people in a dorm. From my count, there were eight boys and seven girls. I wondered if Hufflepuff was the only house with a lot of people.

A short, stout woman came over to us, and handed out time tables to each of us. I took mine and examined it.

"Yes!" I said when I noticed we had Transfiguration first.

My mother told me that it was guaranteed that we'd be doing magic during the first class. Although she had a different teacher then we would… so it was hard to say. Professor McGonagall used to be the Transfiguration teacher, but she was now the Headmistress. Apparently it was only temporary though. I think she wanted to retire soon.

The new Transfiguration teacher was someone named Professor Déplacer and was quite young. Perhaps she wouldn't be as stern as her former colleague was. Hopefully she would still let us do magic though.

The rest of the day was boring though, after Transfiguration, it was Herbology and then lunch, then double History of Magic… oh joy.

**Ben**

So much for me getting away from girls. My first two friends I made at Hogwarts were girls. Though they seemed nice, and they seemed to be potential good friends, I had to find some guys talk to. In the mean time though, I would stick with them. They seemed to want to be around me anyway.

In Transfiguration, I went to the first desk at the front of the class.

"Browner," Ellen muttered as she sat beside me.

"Look who's joining me," I said as I opened my bag.

"Only to keep you company," she said.

Ashley, who sat on my other side, seemed just as eager. She already had her Transfiguration book out, some parchment, a quill with an ink bottle, and her wand. Ellen only had her wand out. I took a leaf out of Ashley's book and decided to take everything out.

"You really think we'll do magic?" Ashley asked.

I guessed this was more exciting for her more than anyone else. She was Muggleborn, so she really hadn't experienced magic. Both Ellen and I came from magical homes, so we'd grown up with it.

"My mum said we would," Ellen told her. "It's a different teacher though."

"She's new though. She might try to stick to McGonagall's lesson plan at first," I said.

Professor Déplacer entered the room, just as the rest of the class was filing in. She was a pretty lady, maybe in her late thirties. She had long black hair that went down to her waist. She wore a smile as she looked around the classroom at everyone.

"Welcome students," she said as when she was at the front of the room. "My name is Professor Déplacer. Just as this is your very first class at Hogwarts, this is my very first class as well. I plan to be here for a long time, so I will enjoy getting to know you, and seeing you grow up. Now, while I hope this class will be fun, I must remind you that we will be doing very dangerous magic in this class. So, you are not to fool around please. Transfiguration at times can be irreversible if not done properly.

"We will begin, by doing simple magic today, but we have to take down some notes first. Afterward, you'll spend the rest of the class switching a match into a pin."

"Boring," someone said and they let out a loud yawn.

Professor Déplacer just smiled though.

"Yes, unfortunately, you'll only be doing the basics. But," and she smiled again before she pointed her wand at a chair which she switched into a dog before turning it back "once you've mastered the basics, eventually you'll be doing that. Not for a few years mind you, but that's why you're here for seven years. In order to get to that level though, you must be able to do simple transfiguration. Most of your first year, in any of your classes, you'll only be doing basic magic. So if you want to get to the level of advanced magic, I suggest you work hard now."

And she turned to the blackboard and pointed her wand at it. Words appeared on it and she told us to copy them down. Once we were finished that, she handed matches out to everyone in the class and then told us the incantation, and the wand movement to switch the match into a pin.

"Don't be discouraged if you can't do it right away," she called out to us after everyone tried it a few times. "Practice makes perfect, remember."

"She reminds me of a primary school teacher," Ellen muttered as she glared down at her match.

Ashley nodded in agreement. "I guess that's good though. I'd rather have a nice teacher then some" and she practically whispered the next word, as if she thought someone would scold her for swearing "bitch."

"I guess," Ellen said. "Ugh, why can't I do it?"

"Concentrate as you do the wand movement," I told her.

"You do it then," Ellen snapped at me.

I pictured the match turning into a pin as I said the incantation and did the wand movement. I was surprised I managed to do it after my fifth try. I didn't expect to do magic well since the hat thought that I didn't belong in any house but Hufflepuff.

"Oh of course Mr. Brown noser can do it," Ellen said angrily.

"Someone's bitter," I said.

Ashley looked determined as she tried it. Professor Déplacer came over and praised me for doing it already.

"See if you can switch it back, and then try again," she told me.

I was surprised when I could do it. The girls both glared at me before they tried it themselves, but by the end of the class, I was the only person who managed to do it.

"For homework, practice," Professor Déplacer told us after the bell rang.

There was a break between classes, so we went outside to sit on a bench since we had Herbology next. Ashley sat at the edge of the bench still trying to turn the match into a pin. I guess she was the 'hard worker' part for Hufflepuff, but I also thought maybe she had some ambition as well. Not many other people would be doing it between classes.

"I am going to fail out of first year," Ellen complained.

"No you aren't," I said. "If that were true, then everyone in first year would fail. Professor Déplacer said it takes a while."

"Apparently not for you though," Ellen said.

"Look, everyone is good at something. So maybe Transfiguration is what I excel at. Maybe you'll be good at Herbology" Ellen snorted "or Defense Against the Dark Arts, or Charms-"

"Ollivander said my wand was good for Charms," Ashley said.

She seemed to have given up because she put the match and her wand into her bag. She sighed as she stared down at her feet.

"I hope I'm good at something though. I was below average at school. My mother was always wondering why I couldn't do as well as my sister, who basically got top marks in almost all of her classes. My mother always compared us. My mum would ask me why I couldn't do as well as Jaime… so hopefully I do well here," she said.

"How old is she? Does she come here?" I asked.

Ashley shook her head.

"She's thirteen. She just started her third year at the secondary school."

"So what does she think about magic then? Is she jealous?"

"I don't think so," Ashley answered. "Actually, she said that it's good that I am going to school where there are people like me. She said maybe I'll actually make some" she blushed at point "friends. She never acted bitter about it though. I'm kind of surprised. I'm glad though, we don't really get along as it is. I didn't want her to have a reason to hate me."

A bell went signaling that we had to get class. Hmm, so she hadn't had any friends before Hogwarts. I guess it explained a lot.

**Michael**

I didn't know what was wrong with me, but most people didn't seem to want to be my friend. I mean, they talked to me and all, but it seemed as if everyone had already picked their friends or something. Even Anti-Social girl was with two people who for some reason stuck by her. I couldn't imagine why. I wouldn't want to be around someone who wasn't going to talk.

I thought I'd found friends with two guys Joey and Brad, but I noticed in Herbology that they tried their best to work away from me. So I tried Dan and Keith, but in History of Magic, they went straight to a desk that only sat two people. I ended up sitting with two girls, Sarah and Melanie who were seated at a desk for three. I didn't want to end up sitting by myself.

At dinner that night, I tried to sit with three guys, Stan, Jared (who I thought could be a potential friend because he laughed when I made fun of Anti-Social girl) and Hank, but they managed to seat themselves so there wasn't a chair for me to sit with them. It was really aggravating.

There were only two groups left that I could try, but I didn't want to try either one. There were three girls, who were the silliest people I'd ever met, Jessica, Anne and Erica. I'd tried to follow their conversation at dinner, but I couldn't. So that left Ben, Ellen and Anti-Social girl, but I didn't want to talk to them, and I had a feeling they didn't want to talk to me.

How did a person who didn't talk make friends anyway? I felt frustrated that night, as I sat alone, working on my homework. I managed to finally turn a match into a pin, but there was no one I could celebrate with. All the first years were sitting in their own little groups. It was the first day of school, how could people have already picked who their friends were?

The Hufflepuff prefect had told us that the people we hung out with during our first day would likely become our best friends. So he told us to choose carefully. So did that mean no one wanted to be good friends with me? Was it because I was taller then the second years? Was it because they somehow knew I was poor?

I put my hand through my hair as I read through the questions we had for History of Magic. I hated the sorting hat. It knew I wanted friends, and yet it put me in a house where people ignored me. If I'd been put in any other house, guaranteed I'd be sitting with a group of friends.

After a while, I gave up and went to bed. I thought Hogwarts was supposed to be a new beginning.


	7. Birthday

**Birthday**

**Ellen**

I'd been at Hogwarts for almost a week, and I loved it. I had two new friends who I was sure would become my best friends, I was doing all right in my classes and I was free. Being locked up sucks, especially when you spend all that time being terrified. Or being harassed by your parents and little brother. At Hogwarts, I didn't have a bedtime, I spent all my time with friends and I could go where I wanted as long as I was on school grounds.

The only problem was that Ben proved to be what I thought he was… a brown noser. He was so insistent about us doing homework every night. I'm surprised that the hat didn't think he should be in Ravenclaw. Something I think he has finally gotten over. He doesn't complain about it anyway.

I still hadn't managed to turn a match into a pin, but I seemed to be doing really well in Herbology. I didn't know that I had a green thumb. I'd never spent my time gardening, so how was I supposed to know that. After one class though, I found my calling. We still hadn't had all our classes yet, so there was a chance I was good at more.

Ashley was upset because she hadn't found a class that she was good at, although she kind of interested in History of Magic. It would probably be better if a teacher like Mr. Binns wasn't teaching though. He was the only ghost teacher at Hogwarts, and he spoke in the same tone of voice during the whole class. Even Ben had a hard time trying to keep up.

On Sunday, Ben and I decided to do something for Ashley because it was her twelfth birthday. Unfortunately, we'd only known her for a few days, so we couldn't give her any gifts. However, Ben's older brother Barry (really cute) taught us how to get into the kitchens, so we were able to get a birthday cake. When the rest of the first year Hufflepuff's realized we had cake, we had to promise them that we would save them a piece later… if Ashley agreed.

"Why wouldn't she?" Keith asked. "She isn't going to eat a whole cake to herself!"

"We're going to have to make sure we get a enough cake to serve sixteen people," Ben told me. "How the hell did we manage to get so many people in our year?"

"Some people didn't come to Hogwarts last year," I reminded him. "Some of them were supposed to be here last year."

They likely had gone into hiding. Sadly, none of the Muggleborns who were supposed to go last year were here this year. The asshole Death Eaters made sure of that. Ugh, I was so glad that they were either dead or locked up for good. It was scary to imagine that people my own age were killed or kissed by dementors just because of ancestry. When I thought about people like Ashley, or the Andrew twins, it also made me angry.

Ashley was lucky that her birthday was in September. If she'd been born in August, she would have likely have been one of the people who were killed or kissed last year. There were a few other Muggleborns I believe who had their birthday in September. I had to wonder how they felt knowing that they could have been part of that group.

A few of the half-bloods or purebloods in our year were actually supposed to be second years, but their families didn't send them to Hogwarts last year, so our year was a bit bigger than the average first year class. I wasn't sure how many people were in the other houses, but we have nine boys and seven girls in Hufflepuff. The older students believe it has to be a record. I imagine the boys dorm was crowded.

Nine of those boys demanded that we give them cake…

So we got up earlier than usual on Sunday to go down and ask the House Elves to make us a cake. I was surprised as how willing they were. They seemed very pleased to make the cake, and they even wanted to know if we wanted anything else for a party. I was about to say yes, but Ben said no.

"Maybe in a year," he told me, "but this is Ashley we're talking about. She's still having a hard time opening to us at times. We'll just make it for the three of us, and then we'll give the cake to the others."

I decided he was right. We got the House Elves to put Happy Twelfth Birthday Ashley on the cake though. I guess her family gave her her gifts before she came to Hogwarts, so she wasn't going to have any gifts on her actual birthday. The cake would show that we wanted her as a friend though. I'd already decided that on Wednesday though. Maybe that's why the hat thought I should be Hufflepuff; I wanted to help a person out.

While we waited for the cake to be made (which wouldn't take long) and for Ashley to get up, we worked on cards. Ben thought it would be cheesy, but I guess he changed his mind because he started to work on one as well. When she came down, we quickly hid them.

"Are you hungry?" I asked her when she sat down.

She nodded. "How long have you two been up?"

"A while," Ben answered. "It's hard to sleep in when I'm used to waking up early."

Ben was supposed to be smart, but apparently he wasn't.

Ashley and I had been up and about before Ben was even up the day before. He didn't get out of bed until eleven. So of course she saw through this, and she frowned at him. So much for a surprise.

"Anyways," I said. "Happy twelfth birthday."

"Yeah, Happy birthday," Ben said. "Now, lets get you some breakfast."

We didn't take her to the Great Hall though; we took her to the kitchens. We Hufflepuffs are actually quite lucky, the kitchens aren't too far from our Common Room. She seemed confused because we were taking a different way then we usually did. Once we got to the portrait, Ben tickled the pear in the giant fruit bowl, and it giggled. Ashley smirked when she saw this. She wasn't used to the fact that the portraits could move around. I thought it was odd that muggle portraits stayed still, and didn't talk. What was the point?

We led her into the kitchens, where many House Elves were scurrying around. They were happy to see of course, I had to wonder if a House Elf was ever unhappy.

"The cake for Mistress Ashley is ready," one of them squeaked.

Six elves hurried over carrying a cake on a platter. Wow, forget the sixteen first years; everyone in Hufflepuff could probably have a taste of this! It was huge. Ashley looked surprised and then delighted.

"Oh my gosh," she said. "Thank you so much… I never expected this!"

"Hey, twelve is an important age," I told her.

It's true, it was just one year from thirteen, one year from being a teenager! She and Ben were so lucky, I still had a year to go. I'd only turned eleven in August. Ben would be twelve at the end of September, but becoming a teenager didn't seem as important for a boy as it did for a girl.

"I expect the same treatment on my birthday," Ben told her. "September thirtieth, don't forget."

"I won't," she answered. "But this is a big cake…"

"Yeah, the other Hufflepuffs found out that we were going to give you a cake, and they wanted some too. I think this will feed the whole Hufflepuff house though," I said eying the cake. It was huge.

"Well, and I mean I really do appreciate this, but we're not eating some now, are we?" Ashley asked. "It's just that it's ten in the morning, and that seems awfully early to eating cake."

Ben and I looked at each other. I guess that was true. In the afternoon we could eat it. We had just wanted to surprise her, but she had a point. Ben turned to the house elves and asked if we could hold off on it for a bit. It was better that way I guess, then we could round up all the other Hufflepuffs and have them come get their own cake. There was no way I was carrying a huge cake down the corridors.

**Ashley**

If I wasn't sure before that Ellen and Ben were my friends, I was sure of it now. I didn't expect them to do anything for my birthday. We'd only been friends since Wednesday, that was only four days of friendship. I guess it was true that Hufflepuffs were loyal. They had even made me cards out of parchment and black ink. It wasn't much, but it was the thought that counted. I would keep them with me for years, even after Hogwarts.

After I ate, we spent the day just hanging out as we normally did. In the afternoon, Ben and Ellen rounded up the rest of the Hufflepuffs to let them know that the cake was ready. I'm sure it was a sight, sixteen first years hurrying out of the Common Room, but as everyone left… I noticed someone was missing. Michael.

"I'll be right there," I told Ben and Ellen who were waiting for me. "I know the way. And I'm the birthday girl, so you know that you have to save a piece for me."

"We told the House Elves to make sure there were enough for sixteen people," Ellen informed me.

They hesitated, probably wondering why I wasn't going with them, but left. I walked around the Common Room looking for Michael. I found him in an isolated corner working on Astronomy homework.

"We're going for the cake now," I told him as I sat down in a chair.

"You should probably get going then," he said, "you're the birthday girl. Happy twelfth birthday by the way."

"Ellen and Ben made sure that there were enough pieces for everyone," I said. "Surely you don't want to just sit here and do homework. Especially something that isn't even due for a couple of weeks."

"Go away, Anti-social," he snapped.

"Okay, first of all, I don't why you keep calling me that. I'm talking to you right now. Secondly, I don't know what your problem is with me. So I didn't talk to you and the twins in the compartment… it takes me a while to get comfortable around people."

"I don't have a problem with you," he muttered. "Well, it was annoying that you didn't talk, and I didn't want to hang out with someone who didn't talk, but it wasn't really you I had a problem with. I was just trying to make friends."

I was confused for a moment. And then I thought about the night of the feast when he was getting the boys to laugh. By making fun of me, he thought he was impressing other people. They must have gotten tired of it after awhile though. Which was odd.

"There are other ways of making friends," I told him.

"Really?" He snapped. "I've tried making friends with all these snobs, and none of them wanted to be my friends."

"Well, everyone else has managed. Even I managed and I didn't even do anything. Ellen just latched onto me on the first day of school and kept talking to me until I talked back. After that, I got comfortable around her and Ben. You, on the other hand tried to make friends by making fun of other people," I said.

"I didn't on the train," Michael said. "I tried to talk to you…"

I shook my head.

"No, you and the twins talked about me as if I weren't even there. You were talking about me, and I felt embarrassed. The only thing you said to me was that you don't bite. After that, you and twins kept talking about me for the rest of the way to Hogwarts. And then during the feast, you made fun of me," I said.

"So you close up if people do that or something?" Michael asked.

I nodded. I thought about the people at my old school, they never taunted me directly, but they would talk about me as I weren't even there. They would talk loud enough to make sure that I heard.

"Anyway, all I am saying is try a different approach at making friends," I said. I couldn't believe I was giving friendship advice. Ben and Ellen were my first real friends. "And have some cake."

I got up and left. The Hufflepuff's had probably devoured most of the cake by that point. When I reached the Common Room door, Michael caught up with me.

"I like cake," was all he said.

**Ben**

As I ate my slice of cake, I hoped Ellen and Ashley would do the same for me. Perhaps it should be a yearly thing. The rest of the Hufflepuff's would likely agree. They were all talking in their little groups, and eating cake. Sarah and Melanie had left as soon as they got their cakes, and so had Joey and Dan, but everyone else stayed. Hank, Jared and Stan were busy asking the House Elves for something to drink on the other side of the kitchens.

"What could possibly be taking so long?" Ellen asked as she ate her own piece.

There were still two pieces left. I wasn't sure who was missing, unless maybe one of the girls decided they didn't want any. Everyone else was there. Moments later, two people entered. Ashley… and Michael. So that was who was missing. I didn't pay much attention to the guy, so I didn't really notice that he wasn't around.

"Why did she bring _him_?" Ellen muttered.

"He is a first year, if he is taller then third years," I said.

"I know, but he is a jerk," she said.

The two were laughing and talking as if they were old friends. What the hell happened there? Didn't she hate him because he kept calling her anti-social? I didn't understand people. The two made their way to get their cake, and then walked over to us.

"We were missing someone," she said. "I had to find him to bring him along."

"Indeed," Ellen said as she looked at me.

I just gave a small shrug.

Michael seemed to notice this though.

"Okay, I've been a jerk," he said.

"That's true," Ellen said.

"And I'm sorry," he said.

"It's not us you should be apologizing to," I told him.

"He apologized to me," Ashley said.

"And what, so he is going to become part of our group now?" Ellen muttered, but only loud enough for me to hear.

Actually, I didn't mind. If he was done being an idiot, then why not? I was stuck with two girls all the time anyway. I needed a guy to keep me sane. Ellen narrowed her eyes at me, and then she shook her head.

"Can I talk to you?" She said and grabbed Ashley by the arm.

"I take it Ellen doesn't like me?" Michael asked.

"She just thought it was low that you were bothering someone," I told him. "She doesn't like people who try to hard."

"Well hey, I only came because Ashley asked me to. If you guys don't want to talk to me, then fine," he said. "I was a loner before, and I can be one again."

"No one said that," I said, although Ellen was probably thinking it.

I glanced over to where Ashley was talking to Ellen, who had her arms crossed, but she was listening.

"I'm just saying, that most of us were disgusted with what you were doing. Dan told me that you spent Transfiguration insulting all the Ravenclaws. It was obvious what you were doing," I said.

Only really insecure people did things like that. They thing they are impressing people, but really they aren't.

Ellen and Ashley came back over to us. Ellen seemed to accept that Michael was there, but she didn't say much. I think she wanted him to prove that he wasn't going to be an idiot anymore.

**Michael**

What a strange day. I'd accepted after a couple that I wasn't going to make anyway friends in Hufflepuff. So I started to talk to other people outside of the house in the other two houses. The Ravenclaws weren't very friendly because they'd heard what I said about them, but the Gryffindors were friendly enough. The twins were always friendly, and they were big hit in their house, so they introduced me to the people there.

Then Ashley's birthday came up, and everyone was talking about it… well not about her birthday specifically, I think they couldn't have cared less about that. Ben and Ellen were planning on getting her a cake though, and they all wanted a piece. I did as well, but I'd already been told non-verbally that I wasn't welcome to be around the Hufflepuff's. Stupid really since I was in their house.

But then the anti-social girl actually came over to talk to me. And I think invited me to hang around her friends. When I followed her, she started to talk to me about homework, and the next thing I knew we were joking around. Her friends weren't too happy about, Ellen specifically.

After we left the kitchen, she walked over to me.

"I don't like you," she told me.

"Look your friend has forgiven-" I began

"It's not that. Well, of course I was annoyed you were picking on her, but it isn't just that. You just seem like the person who will try to start stuff," she told me angrily. "If you want to be my friend, you're going to have to prove you aren't like that. Otherwise I won't talk to you anymore. If Ashley and Ben want to stay friends with you, I don't care. I'll find other people to hang out with… but something tells me they follow me."

And then she walked away without waiting for me to say anything. Well, two could play at that game. I didn't try to start things. I don't where she got that from.

Ellen and I ignored each other for the day. Ben and Ashley were in the middle, and I wondered what they were thinking. Perhaps they were going to start ignoring me again, and I hated Ellen for that. Later that evening, I excused my stuff to go to the bathroom, but what I really was doing was hiding in the main tunnel of the boys dorms. I took out an extendible ear I'd bought from a joke shop in Diagon Alley… I figured it would have come in handy, and I directed it to Ashley, Ben and Ellen.

"-could be trying to give him a chance," Ashley was saying.

"Look, if you two want to be friends with him, then fine. I just think he will cause trouble for us. He tried to turn some of the Hufflepuffs against the Ravenclaws already just because Tara said something about his height. He's a trouble-maker, and I'm testing him. I'm waiting to see if he'll try to turn you two against me-"

"Not going to happen," both Ben and Ashley said at the same time.

"Or to turn other people against us when he realizes that you two would will stick by me. That's the kind of person he seems to be."

"That's fine," Ben said. "But I have to admit, I'm around girls all day, I wouldn't mind talking to another guy."

"There are eight other ones you can talk to," Ellen pointed out. "You were talking to them all earlier."

"You know what I mean," Ben said.

"Well, you're giving him a chance, that's all I can ask for," Ashley said.

"Why do you care all of a sudden anyway?" Ellen asked.

"Because-"

But I couldn't get the rest of what she was going to say because more people seemed to have entered the Common Room by that point, so I was hearing other conversations. It didn't matter though. At least I could be one step ahead of Ellen.


	8. Flying Lessons

**Flying Lessons**

**Ashley**

I guess Muggle stories have a few things right about witches and wizards… they fly broomsticks. At the beginning of the year, First Years are taught how to fly. Joy. It isn't that I don't want to fly, but I never learned how to ride a bike. I know it's not the same thing, but I've always had trouble learning things. Broomstick riding for wizard kids is basically as popular as riding bikes is for muggle kids. Mostly everyone has done it, or they've learned how to do it.

Thankfully I am not the only person my age who doesn't know how to fly though. In the Muggle world, there aren't many twelve-year-olds who don't know how to ride. Even worse, we're learning with the Slytherin's.

I've been at Hogwarts for a full week now, and I've met the majority of the first year Slytherin's. They are assholes. Oh, they aren't too arrogant about blood status as they used to be (according to the older students) but they do remind Muggleborns that they shouldn't be at Hogwarts. Mainly it's the new Slytherin's. The older ones seem to still be affected by their defeat, the ones who cared about blood purity I mean.

The older Hufflepuff's talk about it a lot. The older Slytherin's either don't want to draw attention to themselves, or else they have learned that blood doesn't matter. Not that they are being friendlier to Muggleborns. It's just that most of them were at Hogwarts the year before, and they'd seen things that they had never wanted to see. I think most of them would rather not live that way again. Even though some of them were pureblood, their friends or family were killed anyway. Muggleborns would always come to Hogwarts, and if Lord Voldemort, the most evil wizard of all time couldn't stop them, no one could. I think they learned that it was just something not worth fighting over.

So it's kind of a surprise that the first year Slytherin's do bother Muggleborns. They weren't at Hogwarts the year before, but I was sure that some of them were scared that their families could be next. Ben told us that some of the older Slytherin's had told the younger ones off for trying to start stuff. His older brother had told him that.

"They still have their opinions, and it probably won't change, but the war scared them," Ben told us. "I think they want the younger ones to try and keep the unspoken truce that the older years seem to have come to. Anyway, not all of the Slytherin's think like that, so I think a lot of them are just sick of the house rivalry. They'd rather it just be a friendly competition and not a feud based on hatred."

Some of the first year Slytherin's were all right, but Denver Halfern, Morgan Elliot, Maisie Corman, Don Zent and Xavier Opress were the worst. Maisie bothered all of the Hufflepuff's, she didn't care about their blood type. She thought we were all useless nothings who would amount to nothing. The four boys bothered all Muggleborns. I seemed to have gotten on the wrong side of Morgan and Denver though, so they bothered me the most.

Ben and Michael tried to fight them, but Ellen and I stopped them.

"Weren't we saying we don't want the big house rivalries?" Ellen asked. "They'll get bored of it."

I knew that even if you weren't friends with everyone in your house, they usually had your back anyway. Don Zent had gone after a boy in Gryffindor, so the old Gryffindor and Slytherin feud was happening for the first years. The older Gryffindor's and Slytherin's still didn't get along, but they didn't fight as much they had in the past. I certainly didn't want a Hufflepuff and Slytherin fight, and it would happen if people found out that Michael and Ben had fought them.

So I was very apprehensive about flying lessons, because I was sure the Slytherin's would make it even worse. We had our first lesson on Wednesday after History of Magic. The rest of the Hufflepuff's appreciated this. Hank said it was a good way of waking up after a boring lesson. Yeah I agreed because likely I was going to make a fool of myself. So far I found that I wasn't good at magic. I'd finally turned a match into a pin, but it was after a lot of practice, and I was one of the last people to do so.

We met Madam Hooch outside who surveyed us all.

"This is certainly a bigger group than usual," she said when we all found a broomstick. The Slytherin's still hadn't arrived. "I've only laid out twenty brooms, I normally don't need that much, but your house has taken up most of them. Stand back please."

I didn't understand why until she whipped out her wand and pointed it to the north. A few moments later, about ten broomsticks flew over, and piled themselves up in front of her. She began to lay them out with the remaining four. While she was doing this, the Slytherin's arrived.

"This is certainly going to be interesting," Maisie said. "A Hufflepuff on a broomstick."

I looked over to where Denver was standing. He smirked at me and gave me the thumbs up. I gulped nervously.

"All right," Madam Hooch said. "Stand beside your broom, put your hand over it and say up!"

A lot of people's brooms jumped right up into their hands while some others, like mine stayed on the ground. I glared at Ben who was on my right, of course his had. He was good at everything.

"You have to have confidence… I know it might sound odd to you, but they can sense that," he told me.

Michael's had jumped up into his hand as well, so I knew it wasn't a blood thing.

"It's kind of hard," I snapped.

"Than you're going to have problems," he told me patiently. "Try it again, forget the Slytherin's."

I sighed.

I didn't think about anything else except wanting to fly, and surprisingly, it worked. I was starting to hate when Ben was right.

**Ben**

I guess these lessons are necessary for those who haven't flown before. I thought it was going to be boring for those of us who had learned how to fly when we were kids. Barry told me that we learned the basics in these lessons, so I was going to be doing things I'd known how to do since I was five. I owned a Nimbus two thousand, and I was going to have to ride the schools ancient brooms. They were probably Shooting Stars.

I was glad we were having the lessons with the Slytherins. I could show people like Maisie Corman that Hufflepuff's aren't mediocre. Which she should know. We shared Defense Against the Dark Arts with her house, and half of us could do the spell we were taught. While she had trouble with it. What a hypocrite.

Of course Ashley was nervous around them, so I was sure she was having a harder time than usual because of it. After she tried a couple of times, I decided to help.

"You have to have confidence… I know it might sound odd to you, but they can sense that," I told her.

Muggleborns wouldn't understand that brooms could sense when a person wasn't confident enough to ride them. She glared at me. Well, so much for appreciating my help.

"It's kind of hard," she snapped.

"Than you're going to have problems," I told her, she might as well know the truth. "Try it again, forget the Slytherin's."

And it worked. And she was angry with me for it.

For some reason she and Ellen resented it when I could do something really well. There is a point in a friendship when you become comfortable enough to tell that person what you really thought. I guess after a week they were both that comfortable. They both let me know that it annoyed them that I was good at magic. It was all right though. I didn't mind telling Ellen that it bothered me that she would rather slack off. I didn't mind telling Ashley that it was annoying when she complained that she couldn't do magic right away. So far I haven't had to tell Michael off… except on Ashley's birthday.

"Of course you're right," Ashley muttered now.

"I've been flying since I was five-years-old," I told her.

"And I bet the moment you got on the broom you were perfect," Ellen said.

Actually I'd fallen off. I didn't start off asking a broomstick to come to me. My dad found it pointless to do it that way, and I agreed. When everyone here started flying more, they weren't going to waste time putting their broomstick on the ground. They were going to grab it, and they were going to fly. I think this must be a test of confidence though.

"I broke my leg," I said. "I ended up kicking off too hard and fell off because it scared."

It had hurt too.

"My dad didn't let me fly until I was seven," Ellen said. "I had to use those toy brooms that only let you go about a foot off from the ground. But when I did go on a real broom, I did all right."

I nodded as Madam Hooch told us to mount our brooms, I moved over to help Ashley after she mounted hers. Madam Hooch would want us to hold us it a certain way. Having an older brother and two sisters was useful sometimes.

"Well that was my problem. I'd spent all my life on the toy," I told her as I showed Ashley where to put her hands. "So I was kind of over confidence. I shot right up and fell. You know with a toy, it moves up slowly, and then stops at a foot. With a real broom, you don't stop unless you control yourself."

Ashley had gone white by that point. I glanced over at Denver and Morgan, they were laughing at her. Maisie was busy laughing at all the Hufflepuffs. I was going to show her, and I was sure people like Hank, Stan, Ellen and Keith would as well. I wasn't too sure about the five other girls, Joey and Brad were Muggleborn and I didn't know about Jared or Dan. They were Half-bloods, but they hadn't mentioned if they flew before.

Madam Hooch told us to kick off on her whistle, keep it steady, rise a few feet and then to come back down. Michael was looking kind of nervous by that point to. I think I scared them by telling my story. Maybe I should have waited.

"Do as she says," I told them, "and you'll be fine."

As soon as she blew her whistle, I kicked off and rose about four feet in the air. The people who had been flying since they were kids did as well, but the people who didn't hesitated before they did. Ashley was one of them; she shot up but managed to get her broomstick steady in time.

"See, that wasn't hard," I told them.

And Maisie fell off.

**Ellen**

I'd just taught my little brother how a year ago. I didn't need these lessons. I listened to Ben help Michael and Ashley. I didn't want to say anything, because he seemed to be a better teacher, so I watched the Slytherin's instead. After we were told to call our broomsticks up, Madam Hooch went around telling us how to hold onto them.

Half the Slytherin's seemed to be arrogant, and so it was funny to see her correct them. There was only one person I had met so far that was decent from that house. Claire Parkinson. She was the younger cousin of Pansy Parkinson, the girl who had told someone to grab Harry Potter at the Battle of Hogwarts, so apparently on her first few days she was given grief about that. People learned quickly that she was nothing at all like her cousin. I guess the reason she was in that house was because of family ties, and because she ambitious.

She usually told her fellow housemates off for bothering people. I think Maisie must have resented her, but the rest of them liked her so Maisie couldn't really bother her. She corrected her fellow housemates before Madam Hooch could. She was kind of like Ben, she was reassuring people that it was all right. When she saw that I was watching, she smiled at me. It was hard to believe that there was a nice Parkinson.

When everyone had proper hold of their broomsticks, we were ready…although, thanks to Ben, some people were scared. I suppose it's my fault for taunting him, so he had no choice but to tell us that he isn't always perfect at everything. Of course Ashley and I know that, but we still like to bug him anyway. He should have been Ravenclaw. Maybe I'm just jealous that he appears to be good at everything, and maybe she is too, but it's still fun. And he takes it good naturedly.

The first thing we had to do was rise a few feet into the air. Most people did all right. Ashley went up to fast a foot or so, but managed before she almost toppled off to control her broomstick, and then she went slowly of the last couple feet. You would think Michael had been doing it his whole life. He did as well as Ben did.

The Hufflepuffs all managed to fly up and then go back down. The Slytherins did as well, but to make my day, and I'm sure a lot of other peoples, Maisie fell off. She shot up too quickly like Ashley, but she didn't get control of her broom, so instead she tried to go back down. She fell right off. She was fine, but I'm sure she was embarrassed.

Even her own housemates were laughing at her.

"Hypocrite!" Hank yelled at her.

"Who is going to amount to nothing?" Jessica yelled.

"I did it on purpose," Maisie said angrily. "Besides, there is a lot to life besides flying. It depends on your intelligence."

"Since you have none, where are you going to end up in life?" Michael retorted.

I was starting to like him.

"Shut up mudblood!" She shouted.

Saying mudblood has always been taboo, except the last year or so, but it was one of the worst things you could say now. A lot of people were still upset by it. They'd lost friends or family members from the last war. So a lot of people were angry that she said. I have to handle it to Anne, who I deemed to be a soft nothing, while everyone else whipped out their wands and threatened her, she actually did something. She ran over and smacked Maisie across the face.

Even Madam Hooch had yelled at her for saying that word, and I'm sure she was pleased with Anne, but she had to be a teacher.

"Miss Jetlin, go and see your Head of House this instant, you too Miss Corman. I do not ever want to hear that word uttered again. Go on! The rest of you, lower your wands."

I jabbed my wand back into my pocket angrily. Some of the Muggleborns, like Ashley looked confused. They didn't understand the significance of the word 'mudblood'.

"All right," Madam Hooch said. "Let's try that again a few more times."

**Michael**

I'd been looking forward to flying lessons. Ever since I found out that witches and wizards flew brooms I wanted to try it myself. When I found out we would have lessons, I was all for it.

The only problem was, we were going to have it with the Slytherin's. Some of them were all right. I had to work in a group of three with a couple of guys in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Howard Parker and Matt Neano. They were cool enough. And Claire Parkinson was the nicest girl I'd ever met and Edward Brection kept to himself. The rest of them were tools though. Well, I wasn't sure about the rest of the girls, but I knew Maisie Corman was an idiot.

I ignored them at first though. Once I knew I was going to fly, I focused all of my energies on that. Except for my hand grip, I wasn't corrected at all. And then we actually got to fly up and then down. I had the same thrill I felt when I first learned how to ride a bike. Except this was so much better. Then to my delight, Maisie fell off her broom.

It didn't end well though. At first, we all laughed but then she got angry about it. I found my opportunity to insult her, and then she called me something that must have bad. Mudblood. All the Hufflepuff's (except the Muggleborns), Matt, Howard, Edward and Claire all pointed their wands at her. I was kind of surprised about Claire. None of them could have done much to her. I think Anne must have known that, because she smack her across the face.

I was impressed. I always thought Anne was just an empty headed gossiper… I guess not. And she was sent to see Professor Sprout. Maisie was sent away as well, but most people were angry about Anne.

After they were gone, we flew up and down a few more times. Once everyone had that mastered. Madam Hooch told the Hufflepuff's to turn with our backs to the Slytherin's and then to move up at least five feet more. We were already about ten feet from them. She told us we would need plenty of space for the next part. Once we did this, she had fly back up again.

"This time I want you to go forward," she said and she climbed on to her broom, flew up and then demonstrated how to do it.

It wasn't too hard. Most people seemed to get it, I wasn't sure if the Slytherin's did since I couldn't see them anymore.

"You seem to be a natural," Ben called over to me.

"I wish I was," Ashley said who was between us.

"You did all right," Ben said.

I swear sometimes that girl needed constant reassurance.

"I almost fell forward off," she explained. "I only just stopped myself. I think I have it now though."

And even though Madam Hooch didn't tell us to do anything else (she was flying around to see if everyone was still holding their brooms properly) she tried it again. And then she seemed to know how to back up, because slowly she came back. I tried as well; it seemed to be a natural instinct. Maybe all witches and wizards had it. It just came to me how to back up. Which was funny, because that was what Madam Hooch had us do next.

"Well, that's it for today, lower yourselves down again," she said.

She told us just to leave the brooms on the ground. The Slytherin's went one way, and the Hufflepuffs went another. Once we got away from the others, I looked to Ben and Ellen to ask the question that had been burning me since Maisie had said it, but Ashley beat me to it.

"What's a mudblood?" She asked.

"It's a foul and horrid name to call a Muggleborn," Ellen spat.

"And a lot of people still have raw emotional wounds from it," Ben added. "People didn't die in the Battle of Hogwarts last year just so idiots can still use that word."

"Just how bad was it last year?" I asked. "I think McGonagall glossed over the worst of the war when she told us about it."

"You know a lot of people had to go into hiding?" Ben asked.

"Like my family, my parents are Muggleborn," Ellen said.

"Well, last summer, they came up with this Muggleborn regime. According to the Ministry, people couldn't have magic unless they were born with it. So they tried to say anyone who didn't have magical ancentry had stolen their magic. Which is stupid, you can't steal magic. There are people who are the opposite of Muggleborns, they are called Squibs. Basically, they are born without magic even though they have magical parents. If it's true you could steal magic, then Squibs wouldn't exist… but most people were too scared to protest this if they knew that. And then everyone else agreed with it.

So they started to round Muggleborns up, and they either killed them, sent them to the wizard prison Azkaban, or they were given a Dementors kiss. Which-"

"Dementor?" Ashley asked.

"Their creatures that suck the happiness out of a person. And sometimes they even steal people's souls. That's what they do when they kiss you. They suck the soul right out of your mouth and you are left empty."

Ashley shuddered, but she had a look of understanding on her face. I think she was realizing the same thing I was. The previous year, sometimes muggles were found empty, and no one could figure out why. It was as if there was nothing left of them. They had no memories… nothing.

"And they went after Muggles as well?" I asked to confirm this.

"Yes, that's why for the past two years, it was always foggy or unseasonably cold. And Muggles can't see them either. So none of them even knew what was happening," Ellen said.

"What about the people that were found dead, but no one knew the cause of it?" Ashley asked. "That happened a lot as well."

"There is a curse that kills you instantly," Ben said. "It's called the Avada Kedavra. As soon as it hits you, you're dead."

"Except if you're Harry Potter," Ellen muttered.

"Yeah maybe, but that's another story," Ben said quickly. "Anyway, anyone who was discovered to be Muggleborn really didn't have a chance unless they went into hiding. The name Mudblood has always been around, and people have always been angry when someone calls a Muggleborn that, but after last year, it upsets people even more."

And then he told us about the Muggleborns from the year before who were lucky. The ones who were supposed to be second year. They'd been invited to study at Hogwarts, but because of the Muggleborn regime, they had to tell the Ministry how they got their magic. How were they supposed to know that? They just learned about the wizarding world.

"That's awful though," Ashley said. "I wouldn't have been able to explain it if it were me. I still don't know why. I mean my sister isn't, and they probably would have gone for my whole family, right?"

Ben nodded. "Probably."

"And I just miss the cut-off date by five days," she said. "It could have been me but I was born late. My mom always says her due date with me was August twenty-ninth."

Wow.

I wanted to move the conversation along quickly though. I didn't want to think about it. I don't think any of did.

"So then, the Ministry was taken over for a year?" I asked.

"Almost, and then Harry Potter turned up at Hogwarts because he had to find something. You-Know-Who found out that he was there and wanted to attack the school, so the teachers evacuated anyone who wasn't of age, and then the Battle started," he said and then added proudly, "My dad and brother fought in it. Afterwards, everything went back to normal."

"Well, it took a while," Ellen said. "They had to round up the remaining Death Eaters, and then it took months to rebuild everything. A lot of Hogwarts was destroyed."

"There was a gaping hole in the castle," Ben said. "I remember that, because we went to Hogwarts afterwards, and you could see it. People volunteered to fix it up."

There was a monument in the middle of Hogwarts grounds that represented the people who died in the battle. I'd never gone to visit it before, but we went over to look at it. It showed their names, date of birth, and date of death.

"Some of the students snuck back to fight," Ellen said and she pointed to a girls name who had died when she was just fifteen-years-old. There were a lot of people who were young on it.

There were also the names of the people who had stayed to fight on it. According to Ben and Ellen, they'd had a ceremony in the summer after the school was rebuilt, and they had put this in the grounds.

There was also a tombstone by the lake that represented Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster who'd been killed at the school. We went over to look at it next. A lot of people had signed their name to it over the course of the year that it had been there.

It had been scary to hear about all the unexplained deaths the year before when I didn't know about the magical world. However, for people like Ben and Ellen, it would have been scarier because they _knew_ what was happening.

As we walked away, Ben started to tell us exactly what it was like for the students who had been at Hogwarts the year before.


	9. The rest of September

**Rest of September**

**Ashley**

After the first couple of weeks went by, I grew used to being at Hogwarts. On my first day of school, I had jumped when hundreds of owls flew into the Great Hall, but by second week, I was used to it. I was also used to all of the magic around me. When I first realized that portraits could move around and talk, I'd been surprised. And then Ben showed me that wizard photos also moved.

"What's the point in them staying still?" He'd asked he was just as surprised to find out that they didn't move at all.

Ellen who had Muggleborn parents wasn't surprised to find out that information.

The classes, while they were really fascinating, I found that I struggled in all them, just as I had back in primary school. I guess it didn't matter where I was, if I was in school, I was going to be bad at it. I found that I was better at Charm's then the rest of my classes though.

Professor Flitwick had taught us how to make light with our wands, like with a flashlight. As usual, Ben managed to do it after a few tries. Although I didn't do after a few times, I did manage to do it before the end of class. Once I did it once, I could do it afterwards with no problems.

I think my worse class was Transfiguration. I finally managed to switch a match into a pin, but unlike in Charms when I could do it again and again, it took me a few tries to do it again. Professor Déplacer let us practice it during our first few classes until everyone could do it. Then she had us move up to changing pencils into quills. I suppose in the future that would be useful to know if I ran out of quills. This was a lot harder than turning a match into a pin. Even Ben struggled with it, but he managed to do it before the end of the class. I was still struggling with it.

We were practicing how to disarm people in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Michael was one of the best in this class. He managed to disarm someone faster then Ben had. Professor Fraymen told us during the first term we would be learning the most basic defense. The second term we would be learning about some dark creatures in the wizarding world. In the last term, we would learn a few new things, but basically he was going to have go over everything we learned throughout the year.

We had the class with the Slytherin's, and during our first class, he realized that we always paired up with people from our Houses, so he paired us up with a Slytherin. And that's when I became enemies with Denver Halfern. At first, I couldn't disarm him at all, and he really couldn't either, but he learned faster then I did. And frustrated, I don't know how I did it, but I accidentally set him on fire. It was just the sleeve of his robes, and Prefessor Fraymen put it out quick enough, but that didn't stop him from being angry.

And I was annoyed with myself. I couldn't disarm someone, but according to Professor Fraymen I must have said: Expellimellius, which is a spell for fire. It was the first time I'd ever used it, and I was able to do it. How did that work?

So maybe I can't really blame him for hating me. I'd probably be angry if someone had set me of fire too. It wasn't intentional though. I'd never even heard of that spell. I'd read through all my textbooks during the summer, and none of them mentioned it either. However, he seemed to get over it, because he hasn't mentioned it since. Instead, he's been bothering me about being Muggleborn.

He bothered me about setting him of fire during the class, and during dinner that night in the Great Hall. However, the day after that, he started bothering me about being Muggleborn. He didn't call me Mudblood though. I think he seemed smarter than that. Even now, after Maisie called Michael that, he still doesn't call me a Mudblood. Neither does Don or Xavier who are worse than Denver and his friend Morgan. Maybe they're scared that they'll get beat up. I'm sure if the first years who had aimed their wands at Maisie for calling Michael a Mudblood knew more spells, they would have actually hexed her.

Recently, he's found out when my birthday was.

"Too bad your birthday wasn't at least six days earlier," he said. "You wouldn't be here at all."

Did he really want me dead? He must be really angry with me still then. I did apologize.

Anyway, I'm glad that's the only class I have with him other then flying lessons.

The rest of my classes, I am doing okay in, but I'm terrible at essays. In History of Magic, we have to copy down what Professor Binns says. Sometimes it's hard to keep up though. Not because he talks too fast, but because he talks in such a dull tone. Ben and I are the only two who copy it down. Ellen and Michael rely on our notes. Ever since he started to hang out with us, Ben and I sit at one desk, while they sit behind us in another, and they spend the time playing word games. Ben has threatened not to let them see his notes, but he usually gives in, and I always do. My hand writing has always been bad, but ever since I started writing with a quill it's a lot worse. So I'm impressed that they can actually read it.

Herbology is alright. I think I would be a lot better in the class if it weren't for my essays. I don't have a green thumb like Ellen does, but I do all right in the class. Maybe once I get used to writing essays, I'll do better.

Now Potion's is another problem. I've only made a few so far, and let's just say I won't be invited into the Slug club. That is a club that Professor Slughorn, the Potion's Master invites people who are either famous to, or people who are awesome in Potions. Ben of course is one of the best. He recently received an invitation to the first meeting of the club. Which is at the end of September. Hopefully once I get used to making potions, I'll get better. So far my magical career doesn't seem promising. Not that I'll tell my mother. This first term is a trial period. I have to do better.

Astronomy is all right. I've always been fascinated with the stars, so it's cool that I can actually finally look through a telescope, but it's hard to make star charts. And I'm always extremely tired the next day. And there is the fact that I have to write essays.

Thank goodness I don't have to show my school marks to my mother until Christmas term. I don't want her to think it's a waste of time.

_Dear mum._

_Hogwarts is great so far. We're living in a __**castle**__! We were sorted by a hat, if you can believe it._

_Oh yeah. There are four different houses at Hogwarts. Basically, it's the house we'll stay in for the next seven years. There are Hufflepuff, (my house!) Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor are in the towers, Hufflepuff is near the dungeons, but not really. It looks like a basement. Slytherin is right in the dungeons._

_I haven't been able to do magic yet, but the teachers say that it takes time. History of Magic is kind of boring, and it's taught by a ghost. The most exciting thing that happens in his class is when he flies out of the blackboard._

_We haven't had all our classes yet since our first class was on Wednesday. I can't really tell you too much yet, because we were basically introduced to them._

_I've made two friends so far. Ben and Ellen. They are in my house, and we hang out all the time. Ben is pureblood and Ellen is halfblood. She has two Muggleborn parents._

_Well, you wanted me to write to you about Hogwarts when I could. It's awesome! But not much has happened yet, so there isn't much I can say._

_If you want to write back, just talk to the owl, don't be scared of it. Even feed it. Just tie it to the owl's leg. It won't bite you. Hey, I did all right… okay, Ben or Ellen will probably help me. They assured me it won't bite though. It probably didn't bite when you took this letter off it._

_What's going on at home?_

_Dear Ashley,_

_I didn't have a problem with getting the letter. It would have been nice to know ahead of time that you use owls though. I can't tell you how startling it was to have one fly through the window. I wish that teacher had told us that._

_I'm glad you're enjoying your classes. I would like to hear more about them. They are different from the ones your sister is taking. And I am glad that you've finally made some friends. I always told you that you would someday. _

_So you live in a real castle? That's a surprise, but it sounds exciting. Send a picture, your sister would like to see it. She is doing well in school, and her friends are always over as usual. They have asked about you of course. We told them we sent you away for school. We'll have to think of what to say later._

_Oh, and see if you can send the letters at night from now on. It's just that Jaime's friends were over, but it's lucky they were in her room. See if you can get it to come in after eight._

_Not much has happened here since you left. Same old same old. _

_Your sister says hi._

_Mum_

I didn't really want to write about each class, but I did after the second week. I was kind of surprised that she didn't have any problems with the owl. I had trouble so as I said in the letter, Ben had to help me. My second letter, I told her about flying lessons… I omitted a few parts of course, like the mudblood part. Then I described all seven classes to her, and I told her what my friends did for my birthday, and how Michael became my friend. I decided not to mention Denver or the other Slytherins.

In a way, it's lucky that Ben is a friend. He is very insistent that we do our homework, and on time. In the past, I always just did my work at the last minute and then handed it in. He makes us do it the night we get, and he has even agreed to read over my lessons. He isn't having any luck with Ellen though. She slacks, and a lot.

**Ellen**

The rest of September went by basically without any excitement. We had more flying lessons, but there were no more fights in them. Everyone got better with each class, and they are ending at the end of the month. I don't see why first years can't have their own brooms. Now that the majority can fly, what's the big deal?

Ben is a nuisance.

He is a good friend, but he is obsessed with homework, and he wants us to do our assignment the day we get it. I would rather explore Hogwarts, and find the secret passages. I know there are some. I would rather just hang out with my friends and talk, but no, he wants us just to do homework and to use the weekends for fun.

There are a few times when I have got up and left. He can't make me do anything I don't want to do.

There is a History of Magic essay due, and I really don't want to do it. I want to have fun. Ben tells us that we are at Hogwarts to learn, and to have fun later. I hate History of Magic. The teacher shouldn't be teaching because he is dead. Michael and I spend the class playing hang man, or just writing notes to each other. At first he didn't want to because he thought it was _girly_ thing to do, but I convinced him it wasn't. If Ben won't give us the notes, Ashley will. Although, no offense to her, but I'd rather have Ben's. Her writing is messy.

"Ellen, you don't want to be the only person in the first year who can't do this," Ben told me.

"She won't be," Ashley said. "I can't do it either."

Since neither one of us wanted to do History of Magic, he insisted that he practice Transfiguration. Michael was working on his essay since he managed to do it.

"Look, you both eventually did switch a match into a pin. This is the same thing, it just takes more concentration," Ben said.

He should be a teacher when he gets older. He has patience.

Ashley sighed and pulled out her wand, I guess to shut him up. I did the same. I wanted to learn magic, but I found Transfiguration to be useless. I doubted I was going to be switching one thing into another. Charms and Defense the Dark Arts were the classes I wanted to practice for.

Ashley let out a gasp when she finally did it.

"See," Ben said.

"Maybe I'm not useless at magic after all… oh wait, it only took a hundred times to do it," she said.

"Learning new spells always takes time," he said. "Why don't you stop the self-pity already?"

I think I was so surprised that someone finally said it that it helped me switch my pencil into a quill. Ashley was fun to be around the majority of the time now that she talks more. However, she was _always _complaining about how she was having trouble with magic, how she wasn't smart, how her sister was perfect at everything… it got tiring after a while.

His comment of course angered her because she got up and went for the dorms.

"About time someone said it," Michael said.

"Well it's getting on my nerves," Ben said. "She can actually do things, but she doesn't try because she thinks she is going to fail. I think it's because of her sister."

"What does her sister have to with it?" I asked. "Some people are just naturally smart, like you."

"I'm not naturally smart. Everything I do it's because I have self-confidence and I try. If you think you aren't going to do the spell, you likely won't. You have to put all your concentration into it, and have confidence. That's all there is to it," he said. "Bu her mother has always compared her to her sister. She told me she has a learning disability, and so because of that she _does _struggle, and her sister doesn't. So I think she doesn't have any confidence because of those two things, so she doesn't try and she fails."

"You should become a psychologist," Michael said.

"A what?" Ben asked.

"Mind healer," I explained. "You know, a Healer who you talk to about your problems or whatever."

"Oh… well, it's only the truth," Ben said. "You think you're going to fail, you probably will."

"Yeah, but there are people who are just naturally smart," I said. "I know what you mean, but a person can still try really hard in a class and still not get good marks. Then there are people who are geniuses even when they don't try."

"I know," Ben said. "She will probably never be top of the class, even if she tries, but she would do _better _if she did try. It's kind of annoying that people like Tara get ahead and don't do much to get there. I know you two don't think so, but I do struggle as well."

We'd only been at Hogwarts for a few weeks, and already we knew that Ben and Tara were competing for the top of the year. She was faster at getting something then Ben was.

"Yeah I certainly try and I know I'll never be top of the year," Michael muttered. "I hate Charms and Potions. And History of Magic too. I don't care about Goblin wars to be honest, and if I want a potion, I'll go buy one. As for that stupid light charm? Well, I'll buy a flashlight."

"Things like that won't work at Hogwarts," Ben said. "Muggle technology goes haywire at Hogwarts."

"Even ones that are just run by batteries?" Michael asked and Ben nodded. "Fuck sakes. How the hell does a wand light up anyway? I mean it's wood. Shouldn't it catch fire? Stupid bloody useless spell. I'll just let my eyes get adjusted to the dark."

"It really isn't that hard," I said. "Lumos."

Michael glared when my wand tip lit up.

"Fuck you," he said.

"Watch your mouth," I said.

I'd never met anyone who swore as much as that kid does. If he ever wants to visit me at my place, he'll have to tone it down a bit. Not only because of Timmy, but my parents would personally wash his mouth. They dislike that kind of language.

**Ben**

I've wanted to tell Ashley to stop with the self-pity since I met her, but I didn't want to offend her. Of course that's exactly what I did do. At least she finished her History of Magic essay though.

I was doing really well with my classes; it came naturally, which annoyed all three of my friends. I usually managed to learn a new spell quickly, and even Potion's which I thought I would be bad at came naturally. In fact, I was invited to go to a Slug Club meeting. All three of my friends were jealous.

It was the second last day of September. He was holding it down in his office. I went early, because I wasn't sure if I'd find it. At first I thought it was going to be in dungeons since he taught down there. Usually the teacher's offices, with the exception of Professor Sprout, had their offices right by their classrooms. So, I ended up down there and ran into a fifth year Slytherin.

"What do you want little firstiekins?" He asked.

"I'm looking for Slughorn's office," I said.

"You're way off. It's upstairs by the Defense Against the Dark Arts office," he answered. "The old Potion's Master's office was down here. So when Sluggy was hired here, he took the old Defense Against the Dark Arts one," he continued when I looked confused.

So up I went to find the office. Once I got close to it, I knew where it was because other students were heading there as well. Inside, he had couches and chairs lined up in a group setting. I found a few fellow first years, so I sat with them. Tara was amongst them, but I wasn't surprised. When she bragged that she was smart, she was right. It was really annoying, actually. I was hoping to see her fall on her face, kind of like Maisie.

The others were Don Zent (great) Claire Parkinson, the Andrew twins (I couldn't tell them apart yet) a guy named Andy also from Gryffindor and Aaron and Ted from Ravenclaw. I was the only Hufflepuff. I figured Jared and Melanie would have been there as well since they were good at Potions, but apparently Slughorn wasn't impressed with them.

The rest of the people were older. My sisters and Barry were also invited; they came in shortly with a few people from their house. They greeted me, but they sat with their friends. To my excitement, Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley came in. I was hoping to see maybe Ron and Harry as well, but they didn't come in. The two of them sat with the older students, with a girl I believe was named Luna Lovegood. They didn't even really pay any attention to the younger students at all.

Professor Slughorn came in shortly afterward and conjured up a comfy armchair, which he sat down in.

"Everyone here?" He asked, he looked around and nodded. "I think I have a bigger group then even a couple of years ago. It's good to see most of you again, and the new faces. As the older years will know, I didn't hold these meetings last year considering the… circumstances."

A few house elves came in and starting serving us tea and cookies.

"So, Ms. Granger," he began with Hermione who looked as if she were expecting this. "How are Harry and Ron? I issued out an invitation to both of them, but they didn't answer back."

"Oh, well they're really busy," she said. "They work now."

"And none of you want to talk about what you did last year still?" He asked.

I had a feeling it was something he pestered them about a lot. Hermione shook her head. Most of the students looked hopeful that she would.

"That's fine, that's fine," he said. "But you know, the public is curious."

"They'll have to remain curious," she said. "We're all just trying to put it behind us."

"Better be careful that Skeeter doesn't try to write about it," a fifth year boy from Ravenclaw said.

"She's already tried, but she knows she can't," Hermione said. "She won't be writing about us at all."

"Actually I hear she is trying to write about You-Know-Who now," Barry said. "She's already started, but she is having a lot more difficulty this time. Usually she can write her books quickly."

"How do you know that?" Slughorn asked surprised.

Barry just shrugged.

The club was kind of boring. For the remainder of the time, he spent talking about the olden times, or about people's relatives. He was very impressed that my siblings and I were all the top of our classes (well almost, Tara was beating me) and questioned why I was in Hufflepuff.

"Hufflepuff isn't the dumb house," I snapped and I noticed the older Hufflepuffs were indignant as well.

"No, no of course not. I've taught many intelligent people from that house," he said quickly. "I just meant that three siblings are in Ravenclaw, while one is in Hufflepuff but all four of you are exceptional pupils. Did the hat try to sort you into Ravenclaw?"

"No," I answered.

"Hmm, maybe the burning affected it somehow," he said.

Slughorn seemed to contradict himself a lot.

I was relieved when it was over. I think the other people were too. He told us that he would have some dinners in the following week, and that there would be a Halloween party as well.

"Can we invite friends?" I asked.

"You'll be able to invite one person," he said.

Gee, which two do I leave out?

When I got to the Common Room, Ellen and Michael both wanted answers about the club. I'm sure that Ashley wanted some as well, but just as she had the past few days, she ignored me. At least she was working on homework though. I looked over to see that she was working on a Herbology assignment that wasn't due for a while. One good thing that came out of her not speaking to me was that she got caught up very quickly.

I explained to them everything about it. I didn't want to admit that I was disappointed that I didn't get to talk to Hermione, Ginny or Luna but they seemed to know it. They told me that I'd probably get another chance in the future since I was part of the club.

"He is having a Halloween party, but I'm only allowed to invite one friend," I told them.

"Maybe we can draw straws then," Michael said. "Or else we need to work harder so we can be part of his club. If one more of us get into the club then it won't matter."

That night, I was hoping to get some time alone with Ashley. My birthday was the next day, and I didn't want her to be angry with me for it. I know I didn't have anything to apologize for because someone needed to say it, but I decided I should. We had Astronomy that night, so I was going to try and catch her after class.

It worked out the way I wanted it to. Ashley must have been struggling with her chart, because she leaned against the ramparts to finish up while the rest of the class took off. I told Ellen and Michael to go on, and waited with her.

"So are you going to ignore me tomorrow on my birthday?" I asked. "Well, technically it's my birthday now."

"Happy birthday," she snapped.

"Look," I said as we left the tower. "I wasn't trying to be a jerk, but you complain about everything."

"Well sorry you have to put up with me," she said. "I'll just stop hanging out with you then."

"You know that's not what I mean. My point is, you _can _do magic, otherwise you wouldn't be here. Yet, you complain and call yourself stupid when you don't get it right. Hate to break it to you, but no one does. But they, like you have the potential to do it. You just have to _try_!"

"I do try. It's not like I sit there and just wave my wand and expect it to happen. I do what you tell me, I picture it. The rest of my classes, I try but I still don't do it as well."

"And you get it eventually," I said. "Do you think all the self-pity will help? Will complaining about your sister change anything? No. Just try, have confidence and it will happen."

"So I'm not allowed to complain?" She asked.

"Why are you being difficult?" I asked.

"I know that it doesn't help, but venting does feel good. Everyone does it. Even you do it."

"There is a difference between venting and self-pity. When you can't do something right away, you sit there and moan and carry on about how stupid you are… and yet you can't be that dumb since you manage to do it eventually. Remember what Professor Déplacer said? Practice makes perfect."

She sighed. "All right, I guess your right. Sorry for ignoring you. I'm just frustrated because I thought that maybe I'd actually be good at magic. I was terrible in primary school and I mean very bad. Things like maths? Well believe me, it takes more then confidence to do that. You actually have to understand numbers, and I don't. I didn't fit in the Muggle world. So I was hoping I would in the magical world. I have to have good marks because my mum is basically giving me a trial run. So I'm also frustrated with that. I don't want to go back to the Muggle world after experiencing this world, and then have my mum compare me to my sister."

"Well, I'll help you," I said. "I'll help you with your essays, because to be honest, in a lot of your classes, that is your problem. So I'll see what I can do for that. Ask Ellen to help you with Herbology, maybe Michael will help you with Defense… although it helps to say the right spell, and I'll see what I can do for Potion's and Transfiguration. It might be a bad idea to pair Michael up with Ellen, since they are slackers, but I'll partner up with you for that class from now on."

She nodded. "Thanks, I'll try to stop with the self-pity," and then she hugged me, something neither she nor Ellen had done before. "And Happy Birthday."

**Michael**

I didn't think I would like magic as much as I do. There are classes like Charms and Transfiguration that anger me off, but I like the others. Defense Against the Dark Arts is my favourite one. We're actually going to learn how to hex people. Of course we're supposed to use the spells to protect ourselves, but I don't care. It's still fun. According to Professor Frayton, he wants us to be able to duel by the end of the term.

"Of course you'll only know the basic hexes," he told us. "But I want you to be able to duel. This class is very lucky. You'll have me for seven years, and by your seventh year, I want you to be pro's at it. And you will be. Over the years, I am going to teach you everything you need to know about. It's not just about throwing hexes at each other."

"You won't be here in our seventh year," Maisie said. "No Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher has lasted a year."

"If the job is jinxed, I am determined to break it," he said. "I don't plan on going anywhere."

"If no one has lasted in forty some odd years, what makes you think you will?" Maisie asked.

"Determination, ambition," he said. "I wasn't sorted into Slytherin for nothing, young lady."

That seemed to shut her up. And I was surprised that he'd been in Slytherin. He was brilliant. I had to quickly remind myself of Claire, Edward, Matt and Howard though. They were all good people.

"So, let's break into our usual pairs and lets duel," he said.

"Er sir?" Ashley put up her hand. "When we're in a duel we won't be expecting what the other person does. But when we keep dueling with the same person, won't we get used to them?"

"Very good point, Ms. Dunning. I was actually going to address that later," he said.

I knew the only reason why she was addressing that point was because she didn't want to duel with Denver.

"Yes, you will get used to the person you are dueling with after a while. Right now, I am just teaching you one hex at a time. You can be sure that when I let you do an actual duel, you won't always be paired up with the same person. We will cover all that in December. For now, I'd rather you work in the pairs I put you in on your first day."

I noticed Denver smirk and then he whispered something to his friend Morgan.

"So, you're going to start off with expelliarmus today as we have in previous classes. Then I am going to teach you how to block a spell," he continued.

He waited until we were all out of the way, and then with a wave of his wand, all the desks were pushed out of the way. Our class was uneven, so I was paired up with two people. Howard and Matt. At first, I'd been apprehensive about this because of what I heard about the Slytherin's, but they were the decent ones. Ever since they had turned their wand on Maisie for using the word mudblood, they went up on my list of people who I respect.

We actually had an advantage, because as Ashley said, we were going to get used to the people we were working with. We each got to go against two people. Although it was always the same two people, we still could learn more this way.

"All right, who wants to go first?" Matt asked.

"I'll go," Howard said. "I've been practicing."

"He has," Matt said to me. "He does it to people who aren't expecting it. All of a sudden their wand or whatever will fly out of their hand."

"I was doing it to Maisie with her quill yesterday," he said. "She'd be working on an essay and I would do it once and a while. She was getting really frustrated."

I laughed.

I never thought about it before, but it can be used for other things but wands.

I decided to go first as well. So Howard and I did the stupid bow, and then we parted to disarm each other. It was obvious that he had been practicing. I never got the chance. I was going to have to practice as well.

After a while, the teacher showed us how to do a shield charm. He had us stand all in a line to practice.

"This is actually very useful," he told us. "It doesn't only block hexes, but solid stuff as well. Ms. Parkinson, come up here please."

Claire walked over to him, she looked very nervous.

"Protego!" He shouted. "Now, try to get to me."

Claire tried to get to him, but something invisible kept her from walking over. Impressive.

"The only thing it doesn't stop is the Avada Kedavra," he told us. "That's the killing curse."

"Will we ever learn the three unforgivables?" Maisie asked.

"No!" He snapped, and he was glaring at her. "There is a reason they are called that. I am not teaching you to kill each other, but how to defend yourself."

"I know," she said. "I mean, the killing curse obviously not but the other two curses…"

"The other two curses will not be taught in this class. When you are older, I will teach you how to avoid them, because the shield charm doesn't work on them a good amount of time… it takes very very strong charm to do it. However, they are not curses I am going to teach you how to do," he said, still angrily and from what I had seen, it took a lot to make him angry.

"Didn't one of the teachers use them on the students?" Don asked. "I'm not meaning last year, last year was a fluke. I mean when the Tri-Wizard tournament was at Hogwarts."

I was surprised Don thought last year was a fluke. I'd think he would be impressed with it. He bothered Muggleborns.

"Yes," Professor Fraymen admitted. "And he shouldn't have. I will not use them on you. They are ones that should never be used on another human-being. So, that being said, let's practice the shield charm. Next class, you are going to block the disarming hex, so if you don't get it now, practice."

Defense Against the Dark Arts was definitely my favourite class.

"Denver wasn't as bad today," Ashley said after class. "He's gotten better, but he didn't say anything about Muggleborn's once. He bothered me because he thinks I am scared of him, but that's it."

"Are you?" Ellen asked.

"No. He doesn't know enough, and he probably wouldn't do anything anyway. There's something odd about him and Morgan… no, I just don't want to work with him because he's a prat."

"What do you mean odd?" I asked, personally, I'd be upset if someone had set me of fire too. I know it wasn't intentional but still.

"It's like he is faking it all. I might be wrong, but sometimes I think he and Morgan are faking it. But then again, Matt, Claire and Howard are nice enough, so it isn't as if he is worried about what the others will think."

"I noticed that too," Ben said.

Ben was lucky. He was invited to go to Slughorn's club. The day before his twelfth birthday. I'd heard about those clubs. Maybe I should be more of a brown noser. It was hard to believe that September was almost over already though. It felt as if we had just started at Hogwarts and now we'd almost been there for a month. Time flies when you're having fun I guess.

* * *

A/N: Didn't think I'd be leaving another one of these. I just wanted to thank Aspieturtle for her reviews, because I was very sure this wasn't going to be a story that is enjoyed. And now that I know that someone likes this, I'll leave it on . For the record, I still haven't found a blog I like anyway.


	10. October

**October**

**Ashley**

After I talked to Ben, I did as he said. I knew, even when I was ignoring him that he was right. I did wallow in self-pity a lot. It was something my sister told me constantly, but for some reason it hurt more when Ben said it. And somehow I knew that Michael and Ellen felt that way as well.

His advice did work, but I still didn't learn as quickly as I would have liked. When learning a new spell, either I didn't get it until after class when I was practicing or not until the next class. Ben started to read over my essays more then before, and showed me where I needed to improve. I hated rewriting them, but after he did this the first few times, my marks did move up. I probably would never be top of the year, but if I kept this up, my mother wouldn't be able to pull me out of school.

October came, and with it the last of the heat went. The days were now a lot colder and I wished Professor Flitwick would teach us a heating charm. Ben told me that his siblings told him that it would only get worse. Potions class would be hard to sit though during the winter. I had to wonder how the Slytherin's lived down there then.

The class I wanted to improve the most in was Potion's. I wanted to be invited to the Slug Club as well. To be honest, I don't think it was going to happen. Not even with Ben's help. I wasn't just going to have to accept that I wouldn't be part of the club, and I was always going to be mediocre in that class.

At least my best class was Charm's though. While I struggled with the spells we learned in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration, I was getting better at that class.

When we weren't doing homework, whenever Hufflepuff had a Quidditch practice, we went to go watch. I'd only learned recently what it was. And it looked like an exciting game. The matches wouldn't start until November, so I was looking forward to that. Both Ben and Ellen really wanted to join the team, and I guess there would be two openings next year.

"I just wish we could practice now," Ellen complained. "I hate the first year rule."

"Next summer I'm going to ask Breanne to help me out," Ben said. "She would join the Ravenclaw team, but she just wants to be a Chaser and that spot is never open."

I guess the two Chasers on Hufflepuff's team were seventh years, so next year they would be gone.

"I don't know if I'd be good enough to play," Michael said. "Flying seems natural enough, but I don't know if I'd feel confident enough to take my hands off of the broom."

"Don't ever try out for Beater than," Ben warned him.

I did all right in Flying Lessons, but I didn't think I could play too well either. That, and people had to have their own brooms. I doubt the Hogwarts school fund would pay for that. All of my books were second hand. Not that I always wanted to use the fund every time. I was planning to find a job next summer.

Ben taught Michael and me how to play wizards chess. I'd never had any interest in learning chess before, that was until I watched Ellen and Ben play. Witches and Wizards had all the fun, and every time I learned something new, I was more grateful that I was one. The pieces moved around themselves, and fought each other.

The first time I played I wasn't very good at it, but that didn't matter. The game was a lot of fun anyway. The pieces talked as well, and they would be give a player tips. When I sent the wrong player once, they all started to yell at me.

"Well I guess we're going to lose now," one said sarcastically.

"Don't mind me, I could have been useful but now I am going to be slaughtered," the one I'd sent over said.

"Sorry," I said.

"Sorry isn't going to win you the game," he retorted.

Yes, wizarding games were definitely a lot more fun then muggle ones were.

As October went by, my confrontations with Denver didn't seem to lessen. He was determined to make my life miserable, even though I was starting to seriously wonder if he was putting up an act. In the beginning, I was sure that he had bothered all the Muggleborns but I caught him laughing with the Andrew twins, so I wasn't so sure anymore.

One Saturday morning, a couple of weeks into the October, he used a jinx that we'd just learned in Defense Against the Dark Arts on me. The body-bind. I was heading to the library to meet my friends, when suddenly I was stiff and lying on my face on the ground. And I couldn't do anything about it. Luckily he seemed to have a conscious, because he took it off me.

"Prat," I said as I got up.

"Should have blocked it," he said.

"It doesn't work when my back is turned," I said. "Now go away."

"Still scared of me?" He asked. "Oh please Professor Fraymen, don't make me work with Denver… he is going to hurt me."

"Okay, I have never said that," I said. "Mr. I act like I hate Muggleborns, but I really don't!"

I started to walk away from him, but he hurried over to me.

"What?" He hissed.

"The act is getting old. I think you're just pretending to hate Muggleborns. Maybe you're the one who is scared… which is funny. Matt, Howard and Edward aren't cowards, so why are you and Morgan?"

He didn't say anything at first. We walked together down the corridors; actually, I was waiting for him to hex me.

"What makes you say that?" He finally asked.

"I've seen you talking to Muggleborns. At first your little act was believable, but sometimes it seems forced. I'm not the one who noticed that part by the way. Ben was," I answered.

"Our parents would probably kill us if they knew," he said. "We were both surprised to be sorted there, and then the first two people we met were Don and Xavier. Once you start doing something, it's hard to stop. The Andrew twins were the first ones to figure us out," he said.

"Pretending is just as bad," I told him. "A lot of people are still upset by last year, and you're doing something that people fought against. Like your parents for instance."

"That's what the twins said too," he said.

What a coward. Don, Xavier and Maisie were idiots sure, but that was their opinion. Even though the war was over, there was going to be people who still had that opinion. Even if it a wrong opinion. But when you pretend to have that opinion and say things that would really bother people, it was worse. I understood a lot more about the war now, and I thought Denver was just as bad as those who killed people, because if he had to in a war, he would probably kill people as well.

"Coward," I said.

"At least I don't go around setting people on fire," he said angrily.

"It was an accident, and Professor Fraymen put it out right away," I said.

"But what if he hadn't? There are some things that magic _can't_ fix. I could have been badly burnt, and there would have been nothing that a Healer could do," he snarled.

"So you're bothering me for being a Muggleborn because of that?" I asked.

"Yes, because people like you shouldn't be here. Not because of your blood, but because you are dangerous. You should just give up and leave Hogwarts now," he said.

And he turned and walked away. So much for being over it. I figured since he hadn't mentioned that he'd forgiven me, but apparently not.

I felt shaky as I went the rest of the way to the library. I could understand his hatred, but it still bothered me. Maybe it was because he was right. Maybe I didn't belong at Hogwarts. Sure I was improving in my school work, but not by a lot.

**Ellen**

My teachers were starting to get on my nerves.

"You seem like a smart girl, so you should apply yourself more," Professor Vector once said.

"Ellen, your marks would really be high in Herbology because you are a natural, but your essays are mediocre," Professor Sprout said.

Oh well. I don't care at all. As long as I pass the classes, and I can do the spells, then I don't care. I plan to drop Astronomy after fifth year anyway, so why should I even care. Classes like that one and History of Magic just seemed like a waste of my time. And why did it matter how well I wrote essays in my classes for the ones I could do magic in?

Ben offered to read through my essays like he did with Ashley, but he just didn't get it. I. Don't. Care. If I pass all seven of my classes and get into the second year, that's all I care about. I'm not going to whine and moan just because I didn't get a good mark on an essay that I wouldn't look twice at anyway. When I start my job… whatever it is when I leave Hogwarts, I doubt that they'll care that I only got fifty percent on a first year essay.

It will be OWLs and NEWTs they'll care about.

"You do realize there is a written part to those tests?" Ben asked me when I voiced my opinion. "Not just magic? You could be perfect in your entire spell performing, but fail the whole written part and then you would get a P."

"What is a P?" I asked.

"Poor," he said. "They don't mark in percents when we start fifth year. They mark it in letters. T is for Troll, D is for Dreadful, P is for Poor, A is for Acceptable, E is for-"

"Do you know how much you sound like a primary teacher right now? A is for Apple, B is for Ball…" I retorted.

"You need to take school more seriously," he said.

"They don't seriously mark you with a T do they?" Ashley asked.

"Yes, I saw both Barry and Brenda's OWL results. Not that they got Trolls, but it said on their results what each letter meant. Actually, they got all E's and O's. Well, I think Brenda got an A in History of Magic, but she dropped it anyway," Ben said.

What a way to tell a kid that they failed a class. Yeah, you're as stupid as a Troll, so you might as well give up in life now. Who were the people who wrote these tests? Maybe they had an odd sense of humor. I don't know how I'd feel if I got back my OWL results and I saw that I got a T in a class. I wonder how my parents would react.

They're easy-going as far as my marks are concerned, as long as I am passing and I understand what I'm doing, they don't care. They aren't like Ben's parents who would probably castrate him for failing a class. Not that I know much about them, but something about the whole Hoofer clan makes me think they want nothing but perfection. I'd only met one of his sisters, and that was Brenda. She was one of the most uptight people I've ever met. She's worse than Tara.

"Anyway, the written part of the tests will just be questions and answers," I said. "It won't be asking me to write a three foot long essay about Goblins Wars, which to be honest, that's something I can summarize in one paragraph."

"You can't write the effects that the Goblin wars had on the wizarding world in one paragraph," Ben said. "There were a lot of-"

"The Goblin wars sucked the end." I said.

"You're impossible," he muttered.

"I know," I answered.

At least he was starting to get it, after over a month of friendship. Maybe he would leave me alone about my homework now.

Hogwarts was starting to feel like home, even though I'd only been there for a month. I had three good friends; I got along with the majority of my fellow Hufflepuff's… although I didn't really talk to Anne, Erica and Jessica. Jessica and Erica were empty headed, and Anne hasn't done much to earn my respect since she hit Maisie. Melanie and Sarah were snobs. They were both twelve, so they thought because they were older; they should have authority over anyone who is younger.

Please. The only reason why Sarah is older is because her family had been in hiding the year before. She was supposed to be a second year. And we found out that Melanie's birthday was the sixth of September, so she was a day younger then Ashley. Not that Ashley tried to pull the same stuff as they did. But still, they were not anything special just because they were older. It really wasn't an accomplishment.

I missed Flying Lessons though. It was really the only opportunity that I got on a broomstick.

My mum wrote at least three times a week complaining I didn't write home enough. I wrote home every Sunday morning, what more did she want? Did she want me to write out a detail of each and every one of my days? She seemed to do that. In each of her letters, she would write about something cute that my little brother had done.

Sometimes I did miss him (strangely enough) but that didn't mean I wanted to know everything he did. If I was at home I would avoid that, so why would I want to read about it in a letter?

**Ben**

Professor Slughorn held meetings for his club at least once a week in October. I have to admit, some of the dinners he had were very good, but it was boring. Mainly he talked to the older students, and he let them drink. He wouldn't let anyone in the third year or younger have anything. So basically I was going to have to spend the next three years enduring the man sober. I only went because I heard that sometimes he had interesting guests in. So far he hadn't.

My friends were jealous, and they were trying hard (except Ellen) to do better in Potions so he could invite them to come. After a few classes, he'd invited Jared and Melanie, so I guess there was a chance they might be invited as well if they improved. Michael was the one who improved the most.

In the past I would say I thought Ashley had potential if she tried, and this is true in any class, but not Potion's. There were just some things that people were not good at.

If Slughorn did talk to me, it was to ask over and over again about why I wasn't in Ravenclaw. The last time he asked I told him to ask the sorting hat. He found that funny and slopped mead onto his protruding belly. By the way, I've never seen anyone as fat as that man. He made Professor Sprout who was probably twenty pounds overweight look skinny. And Ellen looked even smaller when she was near him. One of his arms probably weighed more then she did.

"You know, I have to agree with old Sluggy," Breanne said to me once when she joined me after a club meeting. "I think the hat isn't the same since it was set on fire."

"I would expect the house prejudices from Brenda, not you," I said.

Breanne and Brenda are complete opposites. Brenda is uptight and thinks everything should be perfect, while Breanne is very easy-going.

"Well, I do believe you have Hufflepuff in you," she told me. "You've got the hardworking and loyal traits… but you said it didn't think you belonged anywhere else. It's not only you though. We have this kid in our house in the first year, who is kind of an idiot, and doesn't seem like a Ravenclaw at all. He said that it didn't think he should be in any house but Ravenclaw… and then there is that girl you told me about in Slytherin, Claire? Well, maybe the hat decided to sort people in the wrong houses or maybe the burning messed it up so it was confused at times when it sorted people."

"It didn't even sit on my head for ten seconds," I said. "So it didn't check my personality to see if it should put me in another house. Professor Flitwick dropped it on my head and it said: The only place you belong is Hufflepuff!"

"Well, that's why I think it must be malfunctioning or something then… because that's what the Devon kid said it did to him," she said.

"That might explain it," I said. "I don't mind being in Hufflepuff, it just bothers me that it thought it was the only house I belonged in."

I decided to ask Claire if the hat had just decided that she belonged in Slytherin only, and didn't bother to see if she might belong somewhere else.

"Well, it almost put me in Gryffindor," she told me when I asked. "But my whole family has always been in Slytherin. My father is kind of upset that I don't really have the same views as him. I didn't want him to be even more disappointed in me. Since it thought I had some Slytherin in me, I asked to put me there."

"I don't see how anyone can think of you as a disappointment," I said without thinking about it.

Normally I didn't blurt things like that.

She shrugged.

"Well, Gryffindor to him anyway, is the anti-Slytherin, so he would have been upset if I'd gone there," she said.

I told her Breanne's theory about the sorting hat not functioning properly anymore.

"I doubt it," she said. "Actually, I'd say it's working better since it experienced the war first hand. There was almost no sorting at Hogwarts anymore after all."

I didn't understand what she meant by that, and she didn't explain. What an odd girl.

At the end of October, Professor Slughorn had his Halloween party, and I had to pick one friend to bring along, even though all three wanted to go. I didn't know which one I'd rather take with me. So I had them each write their names on a piece of parchment, and throw their pieces in my hat.

I rifled around and pulled out one.

Ellen.

"Yes!" She exclaimed.

I knew the other two were really upset about this.

"There will be the Christmas one," I reminded them. "Ellen's name won't go in that draw so one of you can come then… unless one of you is in his club by then."

Somehow I doubted it would be Ashley who got in the club.

I felt bad for her though. She'd found out the reason why Denver truly hated her, and he was bothering her without mercy now. I can understand that he was angry about the whole fire thing, but it was an accident. Maybe I had to be on the receiving end up it to really understand it. Anyway, he bothered her any chance he got, and unfortunately she was paired up with him in Defense still.

"I bet there will be guests there," Ellen said excitedly as we headed down to Slughorn's office. "Ooh! I bet Harry Potter will be there."

One thing I didn't mind about hanging around with two girls was the fact that neither one was too girly. Apparently Ellen couldn't hold back that night. She reminded me of Anne, Erica and Jess.

Harry Potter wasn't there. In a way I was grateful, but I also really wanted to meet him. There were other famous people there though. The Halloween party was better then the club meetings, I could see that as soon as we walked into the room. It was decorated in Halloween decorations. People were all standing around in groups, talking, laughing, and drinking.

As a tray went by with some butterbeers, I plucked two off and handed one to Ellen.

"Come meet my sisters and brother," I said.

"I've met one," Ellen told me.

"Barry and Breanne are nothing like Brenda," I informed her.

I walked through a group of people to where my brother and sisters were talking together with some of their friends.

"Hey Ben, and this must be one of your girlfriends," Breanne said.

My face reddened, and so did Ellen's.

"Yeah right," Barry said. "What are you doing, Ben? Baby-sitting?"

He was of course talking about Ellen's height. She really didn't look eleven. Maybe eight, that's how short she was.

"I've learned some good hexes in Defense now," Ellen snapped and pulled out her wand.

"Aw, is the ickle firstiekin going to hex meany Barry?" He asked and laughed.

I forgot how annoying he was.

"Leave it to my brother to hang around a bunch of girls," he said to his best friend Nick.

"Hey, he'll be happy about that soon. Give it a few years," Nick said. "Even if it isn't the girls he hangs out with, other girls will be impressed by it."

"No they won't," Barry said. "They will get jealous because he hangs around two girls all the time."

"Yeah but at first they'll be impressed that he is hanging around two girls all the time," Nick argued. "Later yes they'll probably pull the whole jealousy thing."

"You two are idiots," Brenda said.

"Don't listen to them," Breanne told us. "Neither one has a girlfriend… even though I know that Barry does want Tasha. He'll never get the guts to ask her out though."

Tasha, short for Natasha, is Barry's other best friend. The past year though he has started to like her. It's kind of scary to think about that because honestly I can't picture myself with either Ashley or Ellen. I would never say it to her face, but Ashley wasn't exactly pretty. And Ellen, she was cute but… no. Actually there weren't any girls I'd seen in my year I liked yet. I haven't been looking though.

"Shut up," Barry said.

"Well it's true," Nick said and laughed. "He _was _going to invite her to this actually, but then he invited me," and then he threw an arm around Barry. "Aw, I appreciate it… but I just don't see you that way."

"Sod off," Barry said and pushed him away.

"Well, these are my siblings," I said to Ellen. "Let's go find Jared and Stan."

"Please," Ellen said.

**Michael**

I put a lot of my effort into dueling better in October. I was getting a lot better at it, but I think Matt practiced a lot, because he was the best in the class. Howard didn't seem to care, because both of us could take him out with no problem. After we were taught the shield charm, we were taught a few hexes. There was one where it made your whole body stiff, another was a tickling charm and the one we were working on now was the leg locker curse. It was almost like the body-bind, but it just affected your legs.

We had to know how to do those three hexes, but we also had to be able to perform the shield charm to block them. One class, Professor Fraymen decided to use Matt and me as an example.

"These two are starting to actually duel," he told the class. "Most of you are just practicing one spell at a time, but they are using everything I've taught them."

The class stopped practicing to watch us. Matt was quick, but I managed to keep up with him until he put the leg-locker curse on me.

"A total of one minute," Professor Fraymen told everyone. "Very impressive, considering that they weren't dodging curses at all. That is something I am going to be teaching you next year. By your seventh year, all of you should be able to duel with a minimum of at least five minutes. At the final battle last year, where people were fighting for their lives, some of them were dueling the same opponent for ten minutes or more. And some of them didn't have any lessons at all, and they were students from this school up against skilled Death Eaters."

"Some of them were part of the DA," Hank said. "In the DA they practiced that kind of stuff."

"True," Professor Fraymen said. "I'm very impressed with a lot of them. They taught themselves what I am teaching you now. I have a few of them in my classes. Actually, in December I'm going to ask some of them to demonstrate for you so you can see the level you'll eventually reach."

I was looking forward to that.

He had Ashley and Denver go up next in front of the class. The two of them hated each other, so they were actually dueling and I was surprised to see how fast their wands whipped around when neither was very good at it. I suppose that was why they managed to last over a minute. Sometimes the jinxes they used didn't work. Both stared at each other with hatred though. I was surprised when Ashley produced a shield charm that caused a body-bind curse he sent at her to go back and hit him.

"Yes, sometimes that can happen," Professor Fraymen said amused. "Actually, that must have been quite a strong shield charm."

"I've been practicing," Ashley said through clenched teeth.

He'd taught us how to end a spell, it was finite, but she didn't seem to want use it. She hesitated at first and then said the spell.

Denver immediately jumped up and sent a curse at her that I'd never heard of before.

"Furnunculus!"

She was suddenly covered in boils and it looked very painful.

"Hmm, not a hex we've learned yet. I was going to save that for next year," Professor Fraymen said. "I didn't really want you to learn any of the spells that caused pain yet. I'd rather wait until you are older and more mature."

"Finite," I said surprised that he wasn't helping her.

"Unfortunately that doesn't work," he told me. "Someone take her to the Hospital Wing. From now on, let's just use what I am teaching you please," he told the rest of the class.

Ellen was the one to take her.

"Hey Denver, let's have a duel," I said and hurried over to him.

He really was mediocre. I had him down in thirty seconds.

"That's what you get for hexing my friend," I said when I took spell off him.

"She could have done a lot worse to me when she threw that fire at me," he retorted.

"True," I said, "but it was an _accident_. I'd understand if she'd done it on purpose, but she didn't even know what that spell was."

Actually I think I can understand why he is angry though. She could have done a lot of damage to him.

Shortly after that duel, the Halloween feast came up. For Ashley and I as least. Ben and Ellen went to a Halloween party with the Slug Club. Although I was disappointed, I was impressed by the feast. There were twelve huge pumpkins that were in the Great Hall. They were big enough that my friends and I could sit in them and play a card game if we wanted to, and we'd probably have plenty of room.

Ashley was freaked out by the hundreds of live bats that flew around the Great Hall. I didn't think it could be very hygienic…

Hogwarts dinners were usually more or less the same, but the feast had a lot of delicious food and then a lot of different desserts to choose from. At the end of the feast, there was a performance by skeletons. I was kind of surprised about this. The older students assured that they weren't even real, and they were just charmed to perform. That was good. The wizarding world was great, but real skeletons dancing around just seemed wrong.


	11. November

A/N: Okay, so someone commented on this story and then blocked me from responding to her. So, I wanted to respond to you here because you added me to your authors alert. So I'm assuming you're going to do it again. First of all, thanks for making me laugh. I'm actually surprised that I've only been flamed once. I figured there would have been a lot of people leaving comments like the one I got today.

"i had to like make an account just for this i found this disgusting piece of ** earlier"

Well, I'm glad to know that I've helped people join this site. I'm also flattered that you made your account just so you could flame this.

"and wanted to comment but you ** stopped ppl from being able to cooment anoynmously..."

Why is it that a majority of the people who flame can't spell? Anyway, moving on. Maybe I should switch it so people can review anonymously, just so I can read more entertaining reviews like this. A good amount of the time (not always) the people who flame anonymously usually leave really funny reviews.

"this is the worst piece of ** on this site! your character is a MARTSUE!"

Um, I'm not really sure… but I think you were trying to say shit there. Yeah, I know this fanfiction isn't amazing, and it's likely full of errors since I haven't edited it, but I doubt it's the worst. Actually I've read really bad ones on this site. At least I didn't name my character something like Jewel Raven Dumbledore... or some other odd name.

There is a good chance that my characters are MARTSUEs (which I believe you mean Mary-Sue) but I don't really care if people view them that way. I guess you missed my first authors note. I am bored, so I felt like writing a fanfiction with a new class of original characters for the fun of it. I even _warned _people that there was a chance they wouldn't like it. I know the writing is probably shitty, and that characters are probably bad... but I don't care. And I have not edited the chapters either. I'm thinking I should though. I want to read over it anyway soon just to make sure I'm not contradicting anything about the characters or something. There is a chance I might have.

"yeah cry ** cry ha ha ha you fail!"

Yep, I'm bawling eyes out. I got flamed on a story I don't really care about. I am now depressed. How will I ever go on?

Actually, I felt very excited for my first flame. Feel free to do it to the rest of the chapters.

* * *

**November**

**Ashley**

After the Halloween party, it was all Ellen and Ben would talk about. I was jealous, so I hoped that I would be able to go to the next party. A Christmas one would probably be more exciting then a Halloween one.

"I thought I had it bad with Timmy, but Ben's siblings are different," Ellen told me. "Well, Breanne isn't bad. Brenda is uptight and Barry says really embarrassing things. He kept trying to embarrass Ben."

I really wanted to meet his sisters and brother. I knew who they were, but I hadn't had the chance to talk to them.

In the mean time, I decided to try to do some damage control with Denver. I hated having an enemy. I didn't want this to go on for the next seven years. It was bad enough I had people (along with the other Muggleborns) who hated me because of my ancestry. Now that I knew Denver's opinion about it I was hoping to change his mind about me.

I think the twins must have talked him and Morgan into admitting that they were fakes. So I could no longer really hate him for being a coward as I had at first. There were a lot of people who were disgusted with them, but I think they decided to give them a second chance. Or maybe they were just glad to know that there were more Slytherin's who weren't prejudiced.

At any rate, people didn't stay disgusted with them for very long.

So the first Saturday in November, I decided to try to find him and talk to him. It was the first opportunity I could find. Ben was at a Slug Club meeting, Ellen was working on her homework because Professor Sprout told her that if she didn't catch up, she couldn't watch the first Quidditch match of the year, and Michael was sick. He was spending the day in the hospital wing.

Luckily, I didn't have a hard time finding him. I found him in the library looking for a book.

"What do you want?" He asked when I walked over to him.

"I just want to apologize," I said. "I really seriously didn't mean to throw fire at you."

"You've been apologizing for two months now," he answered. "What makes you think I'll forgive you this time?"

I wasn't sure what to say to that. He had a point.

"Well… what can I do to make it up to you?" I asked. "I really am sorry. I'm not the type of person who likes to throw fire at people."

"Obviously," he said. "But why are you trying so hard to make up for it? Do you like me or something?"

I just stared at him. He had to be kidding. There were a few guys I noticed that were cute, but I hadn't developed a crush on anyone. I've only liked someone once. I was ten-years-old, and he was the new kid in the class. Sam Montgomery. He was very kind to me, but then last year he was in another class, and he stopped talking to me. At Hogwarts, I really hadn't been thinking about future boyfriends, but I didn't really expect one. Who would date someone who looked like me?

"You've been doing things to me for two months," I answered. "No. I just don't want enemies, and I _am _sorry for throwing fire at you."

"It's kind of too late for that. I might not hate Muggleborns, but there are people who do. They are automatically your enemy," he told me. "Anyway, I'll think about forgiving you. If I think of something, I'll let you know."

"Okay, but if it's going to be something that's going to humiliate me, or degrade me in anyway, then I'm not doing it. I want to do something that will actually help you…"

"You could do my homework," he told me.

"That won't help you. You'll fail because I am struggling in classes," I laughed.

"Get Hoofer to do my homework then," he said.

I was pretty sure he wasn't serious.

"Yeah he won't do our homework, so he won't do yours," I answered. "Why don't you just sleep on it?"

After that, I went back to the Common Room to tell Ellen about the conversation. She thought what I was doing was stupid, and wanted to know why I cared so much. I didn't want to spend the next seven years dodging hexes from him. He'd already hit me with a really painful one that gave me a lot of boils. If I could just get a truce between the two of us, I'd be happy.

"I would just learn a lot of hexes and get back at him," she said.

"Yes, but that just causes house rivalry for no reason," I told her.

"I guess," she said and then glared down at her homework. "Ugh, why does Professor Sprout hate me? She knows that I've been looking forward to the first Quidditch of the year, and she is punishing me. I thought she liked me."

"I think it has to do with the fact that she is your Head of House and she wants you to do your homework," I said. "It has nothing to do if she hates you."

"Oh shut up," Ellen snapped. "You sound just like Ben."

"Fine," I said icily. "I'll go visit Michael in the Hospital Wing. I'll come back when you're in a better mood."

As I got up to leave she smirked at me.

"I'm doing homework, I'm not going to be in a better mood until it's done," she said.

Despite her reluctance to do it though, she managed to catch up that weekend.

I was very nervous when we had our next Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Either Denver wasn't going to forgive me, or else he was going to come up with something I couldn't do. I had to hand it to him though, he stopped hexing me when he saw me in the corridors.

We had to take notes at the beginning of class before Professor Fraymen let us go into our pairs.

"So I've decided what you can do," Denver told me. "It's actually quite simple. I got the idea the other day when I noticed Matt was using the disarming jinx on Maisie."

Michael had told me about that. Apparently when she wasn't expecting it, he would disarm her, it didn't matter what she was doing. She could be just writing an essay and he would make her quill fly out of her hand. He also did it if she was reading a book. It didn't really matter what she had in her hand, if she wasn't paying attention, he would do it.

"You want me to disarm Maisie?" I asked.

"Nope, I want you to disarm Professor Fraymen," he said.

I frowned. Slytherin's were cunning after all, how was I supposed to know if I could trust him.

"Right, and then you'll turn around and tell him it was me?" I asked.

"No, but it's funny that you're afraid of a detention," he said and smirked. "No wonder you're in Hufflepuff rather than Gryffindor. You're not a risk taker-"

"I am so," I said.

Even though the hat never mentioned Gryffindor, there were times in my childhood that I had taken risks. Being in Hufflepuff had nothing to do with it.

"How is me disarming the teacher supposed to make up for me throwing fire at you anyway?" I asked.

"I know you'd be too much of a coward to try anything," he said. "Come on let's just do this stupid duel. I don't know why he keeps pairing us up with the same people. I already know how you duel… and it's not very well, I might add."

That did it.

Professor Fraymen was by Ben and Xavier, trying to stop a fight between the two of them. He had his wand raised, I directed my wand straight at him and said: "Expelliarmus!"

His wand soared out of his hand and over to the desks that were stacked against the wall. He turned to look around, probably thinking at first that someone had done it by accident, but I didn't lower my arm in time and his eyes fell on Denver and I. Denver quickly pointed to me, to make it even more obvious.

**Ellen**

November first, I got a letter at breakfast. I didn't recognize the owl, my parents have a tawny owl, and the one that came over to me was grey. So surprised, I took the letter from it, and opened it up.

Miss Perenge

Please meet me after dinner tonight.

Professor Sprout

So that night, I went to her office. Despite her nagging at me in Herbology to work harder on my essays, I always thought she was easy-going. So I was surprised when she told me that I she was not impressed with any of my classes. She wanted me to catch up in every class, or else I could spend the first Quidditch match of the year inside working on all of it.

At times, during classes she would talk to the students in a friendly way I guess to learn more about them. Well, she used those times to find out that I really loved Quidditch. So that was her way of punishing me. I was not impressed, especially after Ben did the whole I-told-you-so gig. So after classes, I worked hard on my homework, that I was late in handing in and the weekend as well.

It was actually all right. Ben had a Slug Club meeting on the Saturday and Michael came down with the flu that was going around school. It was one that lasted at least twenty-fours after taking a potion for it. The Hospital Wing was full of people because they were all sick. Luckily I don't get sick easily, so I wasn't too worried about catching it. Ashley suddenly decided that she wanted Denver to forgive, so she was out trying to find him. After that, she went to check on Michael.

So I had a peaceful Saturday to actually get it all done. By Sunday evening, I had everything done. I wanted to vow that I wouldn't slack off again, but there was a chance I would. Although Ben got on my case about it the next week. I figured I would be good until the Christmas holidays and then I'd see what would happen after that.

The first Quidditch match would take place the next weekend. This would be Michael and Ashley's first real game to watch. The for some reason, Ashley decided to disarm Professor Fraymen, so she was given a months detention, and her first one would take place that Saturday, so she blew it for herself.

We didn't learn until later that it was Denver who told her to do it. Why she would listen to that idiot, I don't know. Especially since he pointed to her in class, to let Professor Fraymen know that it was her who did it.

"What do you have to do?" I asked her the morning of the match. As we were getting ready to go out to the Quidditch Pitch, she was going to her detention.

"Help Filch," she said and sighed.

Filch was the caretaker in the castle, and he hated the students. He set his old cat after people to catch troublemakers. Apparently he wished everything was the same as it had been the year before. He'd been allowed to whip students when they misbehaved.

"Have fun with that," Michael said.

"Yeah right," she said.

"Should have thought of that before you disarmed Professor Fraymen," Ben said. "Well, let's go."

I've seen a few Quidditch matches in my life. I knew the one Hogwarts wouldn't compare to them, but that didn't matter. I went to the final of the world cup, which is the last one I've been to. That was probably the best one I've seen… so I knew I was probably going to a bit disappointed today.

This was Hufflepuff vs Gryffindor game, so I had decided to wear Hufflepuff colours to show my support. Ashley was supposed to do that as well, but of course she was in detention. Earlier that morning, both Michael and Ben laughed at me and told me that I looked like a bee. However, they shut up when they noticed that most of the Hufflepuffs were wearing our colours.

In the stands, it was obvious who were Gryffindor supporters, and who were Hufflepuffs. There was a large mass of gold and red sitting together on one side. There were people who didn't support either team, or who didn't really care and they wore the regular colours. I don't think there were many people outside of Hufflepuff who supported us. A lot of the Ravenclaws seemed to care more about a Gryffindor win.

"Who won last year?" Michael asked we joined the rest of the first year Hufflepuffs in the stands.

"I think it got canceled," Ben answered. "The school year ended earlier than usual… but I'm not even sure if there was Quidditch. My siblings never talked about it. Gryffindor won the year before though."

I knew it had been over twenty years since Hufflepuff last had the cup in their name. Usually it was Slytherin or Gryffindor who won. I had checked the trophy room earlier in the year to see. Slytherin were undefeated for the longest time, and then before that Gryffindor was.

"Maybe this year will be different," I said.

I hoped so anyway.

When the teams entered the pitch, there was a louder cheer for the Gryffindors then there was for the Hufflepuffs. The captains, Ginny Weasley for Gryffindor and Ren Summerby shook hands and then the game began.

For Hufflepuff sakes, the game didn't last very long. Though our team was good enough, Gryffindor was better. Ginny, one of the Chasers scored the most goals, and quickly. The other Chasers on her team really didn't get to score as much. Our Chasers didn't stand a chance. When the Snitch was spotted, our Seeker, Lisa Cunningham did see it first, but the second year boy on the other team was faster.

"Well that sucked," Michael said. "I mean the game was fun to watch, but we got plowed."

"It happens all the time," an older girl said as she walked past. "I've been here for five years, and I was hoping just once to see Hufflepuff win the cup."

"The year isn't over," Ben said.

"We tell ourselves that every year," she said. "I've only seen Gryffindor win it. They are the best. They are undefeatable. And with Weasley on the team… I think that whole family can play Quidditch."

I figured with a losing streak that went on over twenty years, Hufflepuff had to come to the top eventually. Maybe we would see it happen.

**Ben**

I really wanted to beat Tara in grades. How did she manage to do so well without really even trying? I'd heard from a few people that she only had to wave her wand a few times around before she got a spell. Now that people were getting the hang of magic, there were a few people who were starting to beat me in classes. They all understood now that it took more then waving your wand and saying the incantation, so they were getting better. For Tara, it seemed to work that way with her. A lot of the Ravenclaws complained about it, and the teachers all loved her.

We shared Potions with the Ravenclaws. Usually she always managed to get the best potion in the class. I was starting to wonder if it was because of Ashley that I didn't get the best one. Now that we'd been at Hogwarts for a couple of months, we no longer worked in pairs. So even though she wasn't working with me, I still blamed her because I always checked to see if she was doing it right.

I decided during the next class to focus on my own potion only. She was on her own. I just had to beat Tara at one class. There was only one class she wasn't top of, and that was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Matt Neano was the top in that one, and Michael was the second best. Apparently she could do the spells, but she couldn't duel.

"Ben, what's the next ingredient?" Ashley asked poking me in the arm.

"Can't you read?" I asked and pointed at the board.

"Actually I can't," she said. "Well, I can, it's just in certain classes where we don't sit in the front I can't. That's why sometimes I copy your notes or someone else's."

"What do you mean?" I asked trying to keep an eye on my potion.

"I need glasses. I've needed them since I was nine, but I refuse to wear them. My mum got a pair for me once, the school helped her or something… but I wouldn't wear them. She didn't know at first. And she won't let me get contacts until I'm older."

I told her what the next ingredient was. I thought she was kind of selfish. I knew her mother was a single mum, and I knew they didn't have much money. So it was wrong to refuse to wear something that her mother had bought for her when it probably cost a lot.

"You should talk to Madam Pomfrey about it," I told her. "Maybe she can do something to help you."

I went back to my potion. So far so good. I didn't speak unless it was to tell Ashley the next ingredient, other then that, I kept my eyes on my cauldron. When Professor Slughorn came around to check the potions again, I held my breath (but maybe that could have been from the rotten egg smell that was coming from Ellen's) and waited for him to look at mine.

"Hmm, very good Mr. Hoofer, very good. You should be a Healer when you leave Hogwarts. You improve in each class, and you've always done splendidly. Did you ever think of becoming a Healer?"

"No sir, I was thinking about working in the Ministry. It's where my father wants for my siblings and me," I answered.

"As a Healer, you'll have to know how to make potions… oh of course it takes more then knowing how to make a potion. You'll have to use spells as well, but I've heard you do well in all of your classes. In your fifth year, you should look into it some more."

I'd never thought about it before. I figured being a Healer would be hard work though. It would have to be since you'd be trying to save people. I didn't know if I'd be able to do it. I watched as Slughorn moved on to inspect Ashley's potion next.

"There is some improvement here Miss Munn-" he said.

"Dunning," she corrected.

"Yes, yes," he said. "Better then you've done so far. Try to keep it up, now Miss Perry, it seems to me-"

Slughorn never could get peoples names right if he didn't pay attention to them. He'd never gotten Ashley or Ellen's names right.

"Funny how you've improved," I said to Ashley as we started to clean up.

"Not really," she retorted. "Look, I once burnt soup so I don't have much luck in this class."

"How do you burn soup?" I asked.

"Exactly," she answered.

I felt sorry for the bloke she would marry then. If you can't make soup, then you wouldn't be able to make much warm food. Even I could make soup without using magic. I'd only made it a few times, but there were times when I spent the day home alone, and we weren't lucky enough to have a House-Elf.

Slughorn had moved over to Tara now.

"The best you've ever done! In fact, I haven't seen anyone your age brew this well in years."

So much for thinking I did so well that I could be a Healer. If that was the best potion he'd ever seen by someone our age, then why didn't he think _she_ should be a Healer? He didn't even mention careers to her as she beamed up at him though. How odd.

"I think it's because you have the patience and personality for one," Ellen told me later when I asked. "I could see you as one. Tara is someone who will probably be in the Department of Mysteries because they have to research things there."

"I want to be an Auror," Michael told us.

"Really?" I asked.

He was good at Defense Against the Dark Arts, so maybe he could be one.

"Harry Potter is one, so I'd get to meet him and even meet him," Michael said.

"_That's_ the reason you want to be one?" Ashley asked.

"What other reason would I be one?"

I'd like to meet the guy as well, but I wouldn't pick a career just because someone famous had the same one. Ashley seemed to agree with me.

"That's a weird reason to pick a career," she said.

"Well I don't think I want to fight evil wizards," Michael said.

"Then you can't be an Auror," Ellen laughed. "What do you think you would do? Drink tea and talk to him all day?"

Michael just shrugged.

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do after Hogwarts, Healer was an option, but I had years to decide. At the moment, I just wanted to get good grades and pass into the second year. I would think about it more in the fifth year.

As November went on, I found myself still trying to compete with Tara. During Slughorn's club meetings, he would rave about how her. I wanted him to compliment me as well instead of comparing me to my siblings. He still wouldn't drop the whole "Why are you in Hufflepuff when they are in Ravenclaw?" conversation. I was getting really bored with it, and I could tell everyone else was too. It'd be fine if he didn't keep bringing it up. Why didn't he mention that he thought I should be a Healer?

The meeting after the Quidditch Match he talked about how well Ginny flew. I had to admit, she really was a great player.

"Have you thought about playing in the professionals?" He asked her.

She shook her head.

"I haven't thought about what I want to do yet," she told him.

"You should consider it. I hear that Gwenog Jones is looking for some more recruits for the Holyhead Harpers. I keep in touch with her. I could mention you to her if you'd like. Maybe she could come to one of the matches," he said.

Normally Ginny and Hermione ignored his compliments. They would thank him politely and change the subject. However, this time Ginny seemed to be very pleased with this one.

"Really?" She asked which surprised me.

That would be something interesting to tell my kids when I was older. If she made the team anyway. I'd never talked to her, or Hermione Granger but I _did_ go to school with them. If she went on to be a famous Quidditch player, I could tell them that I had been in the Slug Club with her.

I was actually disappointed that I'd never talked to Hermione. She was Head Girl, so she worked with my brother. He told me she wasn't really that exciting and they didn't talk about anything much during their patrols. I asked him if he thought about asking her out, (he still hasn't asked Tasha) but he told me that she was seeing Ron Weasley.

"Really Ben," he said, "she saw a lot of things last year that has probably haunted her. I'm not going to bother her about it. Besides, I don't _want_ to talk about last year."

"How do you know what she saw?" I asked.

"I don't, but she was on the run trying to find You-Know-Who with Potter," he answered and refused to say more.

He was lucky to be part of the older students who actually talked to her. She didn't pay much attention to the younger students unless they were misbehaving, and I wasn't about to do that. I had to behave if I wanted to make prefect in fifth year. I had eight other guys to compete with for the spot when the time came.

My friends didn't believe me when I told them that I didn't get the chance to talk to during club meetings.

"She doesn't really pay attention to anyone who is younger then the fifth year," I said. "Besides, we don't walk around socializing. It's basically a large tea party where Slughorn tells us stories. If he invites famous people, they have the floor."

As the end of November came, I started to panic. The final grades for first term would be posted in December before the holidays. The term was almost up, and I hadn't managed to get to the top of the year. In fact, according to Professor Sprout after my last talk with her, I'd gone down a few spots.

"There isn't anything wrong with your work," she reassured me. "It's just now that people are used to being at Hogwarts, they are improving more and more. But being in the top five is good."

My siblings were all number one… well maybe not Ben anymore because of Hermione. I couldn't be any less than that.

**Michael**

I started to practice the spells we were taught in Defense Against the Dark Arts so much, that I neglected my other classes. Some of them slipped down because I couldn't focus on anything else. Sometimes I did what Matt did to Maisie on unsuspecting people in the Common Room. I tried not to do it too much because I didn't want to get caught. Once I made a seventh years quill fly across the room. He blamed it on his friend and hexed him.

Professor Fraymen continued to use Matt and me as an example in each class. In December he was going to have everyone work with different people. Apparently he was going to try to get us to work with the people who had trouble with some spells. I hoped I could work with Don Zent, who like Maisie was all talk, but wasn't good at everything. He couldn't duel if his life depended on it.

In November, we were learning more and more hexes to use. None of them hurt people.

"I want to make sure you are very good at using a shield charm before I teach you that," he said. "I don't want anyone in my class to be in danger."

Too bad he wouldn't be there. No Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher has ever lasted more than a year. A lot of older students were upset by this because they hadn't had a good teacher in a while.

"I hate when he promises what he'll teach us next year," a fourth year girl complained to her friend. "He won't be _here_ next year."

I wasn't looking forward to second term. We wouldn't be learning anymore hexes. We wouldn't get to do much dueling until the third term.

"I have to teach you about the creatures you need to know at your level too," he had told us. "This is actually my easiest class because the older students are behind. Hogwarts hasn't had too many decent teachers in the past decade. I was astounded to learn that Dumbledore employed Gilderoy Lockhart and Delores Umbridge. Not to mention there was the man who pretended to be Alastor Moody."

"He didn't have choice with Delores Umbridge," Ben had explained. "The Ministry made him because he had trouble finding a suitable teacher."

"Well I don't know what they were thinking," was his answer. "All I know is, for anyone second year and older, I have a lot to cover. The sixth and seventh years are fine because they taught themselves hexes. There are a few other exceptions, but there is a lot to this class then dueling."

I knew he was having the most problems with anyone in the second year since they were taught how to torture people. The students at Hogwarts the year before hadn't had an education in Defense Against the Dark Arts at all.

"Barry told me it's true," Ben told us later. "Other then Snape, a man named Lupin and even the fraud… they didn't have much of an education."

"I thought the fraud used unforgivables on people?" Ellen had asked.

"He showed the spells to them, and he used the Imperius on them, but he taught them other hexes as well. He had to put on show, so even though he turned out to be a murderer, they still learned that year," Ben said. "Barry said in his first year, he didn't learn anything at all because of Lockhart. In his fourth year, they had Umbridge so that year was useless and then last year they were taught bad spells to use on people who were in detention."

I was just shocked that a school would hire people that didn't know what they were doing. In the seven years that Barry had been at Hogwarts, he had four decent teachers, while three years he learned nothing.

I hoped that Professor Fraymen would manage to break the curse. I didn't want to have a decent teacher one year, and then not the next. It was my favourite class, and my best one.

I was starting to move up in Potions, so I was hoping soon Slughorn would notice. Ben said the club meetings were boring, but what if managed to invite Harry Potter?

"Slughorn complains that Harry ignores his invitations, so I don't think he'll come," Ben told me.

I really wanted to meet him so I could thank him. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't even be at Hogwarts. I could even be dead.

My parents were shocked by some of the stuff I wrote them. Sometimes I wondered if they'd forgotten that I was at a school to learn magic. They didn't write much. One of their letters asked if we were learning to duel with swords. When I explained that it was with magic my mother had written back: _You mean you're really using real magic?_

Did they think I was going to a school to learn card tricks back in July? I didn't understand them sometimes. McGonagall had _shown _them magic. Did they forget about it? I knew they drank more then the average person does, but how could they just forget? I wished we could use magic outside of school so I could show them at Christmas.

I actually wasn't looking forward to the Holidays. Ashley often complained that her family didn't have much money, but they weren't _poor_ the way I was. She lived in a four bedroom house that was warm in the winters. She got gifts on her birthdays or Christmases.

I lived in a small house that froze during the winter months. Our meals were never very nourishing. I got gifts that were second hand, and usually one or two. When I was eight, my parents gave me a walk-man for my birthday. I was exited until I found out that it didn't work.

At Hogwarts, I was actually warm except in the drafty corridors or the dungeons. I got actual meals here. I didn't go to bed hungry and cold. My bed here was actually comfortable. My bed at home had springs poking out.

People commented that I am too skinny for my height. What they didn't know what that I'd gained weight since I came to Hogwarts. It was because I actually got to eat a lot.

So while everyone talked excitedly about the Holidays I dreaded it. As the end of November came, I wished that time would go by slower. I missed my parents, but I did not want to go home. I could hope that with me gone, they had a bit more money so maybe their situation improved. Maybe they didn't spend as much money on alcohol.


	12. December

A/N: Just responding to my new flamer troll. :)

"well i didnt want u to send a message to me freaking out cuz your upset that i flamed ur gay ** stupid story!"

If someone flames this I'm not going to freak out. Even if someone flamed a story that I care about, I probably won't freak out. People have their opinions. On a story I care about, I'd rather have constructive criticism, but if they flame… well whatever.

"u shouldnt be glad that i joined the site to flame... i was gonna join cuz i couldnt comment on peoples storys so yeah... u didnt help at all"

No, you're probably right, I shouldn't be. You are probably just going to be a troll now. I had a look at your profile and you said you won't use this to write. Maybe I've unleashed something bad…

"i can so spell! its the freaking internet so im not gonna really care about my spelling now am i? if i was writing a story i probably would check it."

Okay, sure but when you criticize someone you should spell correctly. It just makes you look like an unintelligent troll. No one will take you seriously. Honestly, I find this hilarious. How are old are you anyway? You're probably just some bored fifteen-year-old.

"the site blocks out swear words duh! and if you no your story isnt great then why dont you try to fix it or are u incapable of improving?"

Yes, I know it does. The reason I am writing this story is because I am bored. I also have writers block for my other stories. So until I come up with a real Harry Potter fanfiction, or I think of what else to add to my other stories, I am going to write this. Also, I wanted to write this for the fun of it for a while now. I wanted it to be in separate chapters, and this site allows that. I was going to move it to a blog if I found one I liked, but someone requested I didn't.

"i didnt read the authours note i usually dont i wasnt going to read this one until i noticed you were talkin to me i only added you to authors cause i wanted to flame every chapter you make from now cause i hope youll stop writing it i am doing this to every mary sue fanfiction so dont bother trying to feel 'flattered' as you called it because u arent special!"

Well next time actually read the authors notes. People write them because they want to tell their readers something. If you'd read it in the first place, you would have known what I was doing. I don't really care if you flame every chapter. Go nuts. When I'm busy again, or when I come up with another story to write, there is a chance I might not update this as much, or not at all. Until that time comes, I'm sorry but I'm going to keep updating to this. I do want to finish up to their seventh year. I'm afraid you're just going to have to put up with me.

"why would u feel excited for a flame? that is dumb you must not have a life and you must be an attention seeker

oh look at that i spelled the words right... yeah get a life loser"

Okay, this last part just made me laugh. I'm the one with no life? Okay true, I just moved here and I don't know many people yet, but still. I'm not the one trolling for the fun of it. I don't really see how I can be considered an attention seeker.

I hate to break it to you, but that's what your doing hon.

* * *

**December**

**Ashley**

I was so relieved when December came because it meant that my weekends would be free again. Alright, I know it was Denver's plan to get me to disarm Professor Fraymen. He feels that by me getting detentions for it, I have made up for it though. He isn't bothering me anymore, so something good came out of it. Although I am angry with him, so I ignore him, but at least I don't have an enemy anymore.

Okay, Maisie, Don and Xavier are still my enemies, but they are everyone's enemies if they are Muggleborn.

I was also glad that December came because it meant that Christmas was coming. Our last day of class was December eighteenth and then we were going home on the nineteenth, which was a Saturday. We would be back January tenth and our classes would start on the eleventh. So I was going to be away from Hogwarts for three weeks, but it was enough time to spend with my family.

I do miss them, even Jaime. I've never been away from my mum and sister for so long. I love Hogwarts and everything, but sometimes I do feel homesick. I miss fighting with my sister. I miss the Sundays when we would have family time.

We don't really spend that much time together. Jaime is gone after school at a friend's, and I am usually doing something in my room when it's cold or rainy, or I am in the town trails on warm days. Weekends, I go out to the pond to read or something. Jaime is out with friends. So Sunday evenings, it's family time. We either play board games, or we watch movies together.

I'm looking forward to News Years Eve. We always do something together for that. Jaime has written to me, and I guess mum is letting her invite a bunch of friends for it this year. Apparently her friends miss me, so they can't wait to hang out with me that night. While people my own age don't like me (or never used to) they do. They've never seen me do accidental magic though.

According to them, I am a good younger sister because I don't really get in the way. I leave when Jaime wants me to.

One time last year, my mum was working midnights, so Jaime invited a bunch of people over for a party. Well, they all got drunk and messed things up. Now I knew it's wrong to drink at twelve or thirteen, but I don't tell on my sister. So, I cleaned up after them and when my sister got to drunk I cut her off and then made her friends go home. I guess they respected me after that.

"My little sister would have freaked out, told my mum and not do anything to help. You actually didn't care that we were drinking until we got to a point that we had to stop."

I was surprised that they listened to me.

Anyway, I also didn't mind going home because my marks had gone up to average in all my classes. Mum wouldn't be able to say that it was a waste of time. I was actually going to see if mum would let me invite Ben, Ellen and Michael over for New Years. Earlier we were discussing that we wanted to get together for it. When I found out what my sister was doing, I asked if they wanted to come to my house.

"Sure," Ellen said. "At my place we'd have to be quiet because of Timmy."

"We wouldn't have fun at my place," Michael said quickly. "So I don't care where we go."

"I'll have to see if it's okay with my parents," Ben told me. "Usually we have a big party at my place… well we didn't last year, but before that we always did. Ben and Breanne invite their friends… Brenda doesn't have any close ones, and then my parents invite their friends and my cousins always come."

I have a feeling Ben was hoping we would go to his place instead. It sounded like fun at his place, but I wanted my mother to meet my friends. It was the first time I would ever bring home a friend other then when I was a little kid. It did sound like fun at Ben's place though.

"Well we could go to your place next year," Ellen told Ben as if sensing what I felt.

"True," he said. "Then I can see your sister again."

I was confused. How did he know my sister? He didn't tell me he knew her.

"When did you meet my sister?" I asked.

"I saw you at the train station," he said. "On the platform, you all looked really nervous, so I knew that one of you were Muggleborn. I meant I could finally meet her."

I bet that's what he meant. She's beautiful, so he was probably looking forward to seeing her again because of that.

"You didn't tell me you saw me on the platform," I said.

"Yes, I saw you for the first time then, and then I saw you again because you were leaning against me in that chamber before we were sorted. I didn't really think it was worth mentioning," Ben answered. "I saw Michael out the window too because my father helped him get his trunk on the train."

"Strange connections," Ellen said laughing.

"It is actually," I said laughing as well.

"Oh well thank your father for me then," Michael said. "I didn't realize it was him. He saw me trying to get it on the train, and it was about to go because I was late. I forgot to thank him."

"Thank him yourself when you see him," Ben said. "Anyway, I'll write home and ask my mum if I can. She'll probably say yes."

The castle was beautiful in the winter. Sure it was freezing in the corridors and dungeons, but the outside looked impressive. Trying to get to Herbology wasn't much fun though. Our robes and feet were always soaked because we had to make our way through the snow over to the green houses. Thankfully, a path was eventually made, so we stuck to it.

Ben kept nagging me to go see Madam Pomfrey because of my vision problems. I wish I hadn't mentioned it, but I decided to go after a while. She had an eye chart, so she made me read off of it from a distance.

"Yes, you're going to need glasses and soon," she told me after she checked my vision with her wand as well. "You aren't too bad now. You just need them for reading the boards or to see something from a distance. If you don't start wearing them now for that, your eyes will get worse. If that happens, you'll have to wear them all the time. Now you're Muggleborn, so you could go to an eye healer there, but I could set you up an appointment to see someone here."

"Can we do that please," I answered. "Does it cost anything? My mum can't really afford-"

"I can send a letter home with you when you go home for Christmas, but if she can't afford it then Hogwarts does have a fund for that as well. You'll be sure to wear them though."

"Can't I just get contacts?" I asked. "Do you have that in the wizarding world?"

"Yes, we have them as well here. That's up to your mother," she told me.

"Magic can fix a lot of stuff, why can't it fix vision problems?" I asked.

"Someday in the future it might, but eyes are sensitive. We don't want to do something that could cause permanent damage," she said.

I really didn't want to wear glasses. I wasn't pleased with my looks as it was. They were just going to make it worse. I really hoped I could convince my mother just to let me wear contact lenses instead. I was actually hoping there would be a spell or potion that could fix my eyes, but there wasn't. It didn't make sense because apparently there was a potion that could make someone's bones grow back.

My mother was going to do a whole "I told you" thing when I got home, and I wasn't looking forward to it. When she found out that I wasn't wearing my glasses she was angry. So she was going to be happy that Hogwarts was going to make me wear them. It was my fault for mentioning it, but it was Ben's as well. He kept threatening to tell the teachers himself if I didn't go.

"Still angry with me?"

I was working in the library on a History of Magic essay I was struggling with, when someone slammed their books on my table. I jumped and nearly upset my ink well. I looked up to see Denver grinning at me.

"What do _you_ want?" I asked.

He sat down at the table.

"Since when do _you_ willing sit with me?" I asked.

"Oh come on, you were practically _begging_ me to forgive you," he said. "Now you spend all your time avoiding me. What was the point in all that then?"

"I wanted you to forgive me you'd stop hexing me every chance you got," I said. "I told you I didn't want you as an enemy. Then you went and told Professor Fraymen that it was me who did it. So you basically backstabbed me… even though he knew it was me, but still."

Denver nodded, he still wore the stupid smirk on his face, and I wanted wipe it off.

"I know it was an accident when you threw that fire at me. It just made me angry that you got away with it. Accident or not, it could have done some permanent damage to me. And you said 'oops,' first. You didn't apologize right away. I don't know, but if I threw fire at someone, I wouldn't say oops. You _should_ have been punished," he said.

"So by me getting almost a month's worth of detentions, you thought it made up for it?" I asked.

He nodded. "You deserved what you got. So you might as well stop being angry about it."

He was the oddest person I'd ever met. He spent months hating me, and then backstabbed me, and then seemed to want to be friends. I just shrugged and began to work on my essay again. Hopefully he'd get the hint and go away.

When the time came for Slughorn's party, Ben had Michael and I put our name is a hat again. Christmas seemed like the best party, so I held my breath while he reached in to pick the next person.

"Michael," he said when he pulled out the piece of parchment.

I knew I shouldn't be upset, but I felt my eyes prickle with tears anyway. I tried to hold them back. Who knew when the next party would be? I really wanted to go to one. I tried not to show how upset I was. I congratulated him because I knew it I shouldn't be upset.

**Ellen**

I had mixed feelings about the fact that it was almost the holidays. I would have three weeks free of homework, but I'd have to see Timmy. I did miss him, but I knew as I went home, he was not going to leave me alone. I did want to see my parents too, and I was looking forward to Christmas. I just really hoped they wouldn't be on my case the entire time.

It was hard to believe that my first term was already almost over. If felt as if we had started at Hogwarts. The time had gone by very quickly.

There was another Quidditch match it was Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Luckily the Slytherin's lost, so most of us were glad about that. Ashley was able to go to that match, and she'd thought it was great to see it for the first time. I wanted Michael and her to see a professional match. If they were impressed with the school ones, they'd definitely be impressed by those ones.

I had to have another meeting with Professor Sprout, which I didn't understand why. I'd been keeping up because I didn't want her to get on my case again. I also didn't want Ben to bug me either. I did the homework quickly just to get it out of the way and to keep the two of them off my back.

"Hello Miss Perenge," she said when I sat down at her desk.

"Hello," I said wondering what she wanted.

"So, your teachers have told me that you are keeping up in their classes," she began. "However, and I've seen it with the essays you've handed in to me, that you aren't trying."

"My marks have gone up," I said.

"Actually, they've gone down."

"What?" I asked. "How have they gone down? They are better then what I was doing in September."

"Yes that's true, you did well for a while there, but you've never been at a passing level. And I know you can, but you are slacking off. When you are in your fifth year-" she began.

"I'll put effort in my essays then," I interrupted. "This is my first year, no one is going care about my marks in the first year when I get a job. I'll just like mad at the end of the year so I can pass into the second year."

"When you are in your fifth year," she began again. "You'll look over the notes you have now, and your homework because you will need to know what you are learning now for your OWLs. I don't know how you expect to learn anything when you just do it to get it over with. We assign homework so you can show what you've learned."

I sighed. Fifth year was four years away, and if I needed to look up something when I studied, I was sure Ben would help me.

"It's better you get in the habit instead of when you start your fifth year. If you handed me an essay like this one," and she put the latest essay I handed in in front of me. "I would mark it as a D, which means Dreadful. And I'm sorry to say Miss Perenge, but you are not passing at the moment. You were, but your marks went down in all of your classes. Even if you start putting effort into all of your assignments now, you will not be taking home passing grades at the end of term. I know you do not want to repeat your first year."

"I'll worry about it when third term comes around," I said.

"I'm going to start assigning you detention until you bring your marks up," she told me. "There isn't time this term, but next term if you not start to put effort in your classes, you'll spend your weekends with me until you do."

I couldn't believe it. I'd always thought she was easy-going. I could do the magic in each of the classes I needed to. So why did it matter. I said this to her, and she just shook her head.

"Ellen, the written work is just as important. If you did your written work, you would be doing very well in the classes you also do practical lessons in. In my class since you are a natural, you'd be in the top. You are a very smart girl, but you need to apply yourself."

I sighed. When she put it that way…

"Am I failing all of my classes?" I asked.

"Most of your classes you are just passing. You are failing History of Magic, Astronomy, and Potions. You are just a mark passing in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Charms. You're doing slightly better in Transfiguration and you are about average in my class. In your fifth year when you get your OWL results back, I'd like to see that you got an outstanding in my class. And you can, but you _have_ to improve in your written work."

I didn't tell my friends what Professor Sprout told me. I knew Michael and Ashley wouldn't judge me, but Ben would. He would find out when the grades were posted at the end of the term, so I was going to keep it a secret until then.

I really really hated doing homework. So when I started to put more effort into it, I wasn't happy. I didn't want to fail though. When Professor Sprout put it the way she had, I was worried. I was so glad that we were going to have a three week break from school, because at the moment I really resented it. I still think that as long as you can do the magic, it shouldn't matter. The teachers were never going to agree with me though.

**Ben **

December… and still I wasn't at the top.

But I moved up from number five to number three. So I guess that was good.

I was looking forward to going home. It would be nice to have a break from everything… and Slughorn. I don't know why I still go to club meetings. Maybe it's just something different from the usual routine at Hogwarts. And it's something that a lot of people aren't apart of.

I was looking forward to the party as well. The Halloween one had been a lot of fun, so I figured the Christmas one would be too. It was one the last day of classes, the Friday night, so we didn't have to worry about it ending early. We had to get up early to board the train, but that was fine, we could sleep on the train.

The week before the party, I drew Michael's name from my hat.

"Think Harry Potter will be there this time?" Michael asked as he headed to Slughorn's office for the party.

"Not likely," I said. "He has ignored all of Slughorn's invitation's so far."

I was wrong though. When we entered the office, it was to find it fuller than usual. He must have managed to expand it with magic to fit everyone in. We entered and went around to find the other first years, or my siblings when there he was. He was with Ron Weasley, Hermione and Ginny. There was too big of a crowd around them though, so we decided to wait before we tried to approach him.

"Do you think we'll be able to get our hands on some real alcohol?" Michael asked.

"I don't know…" I said.

My sisters and brother were there as well. If they caught me with a real drink, they would freak out. I'd tried to get my hands on something at the Halloween party, and Barry took it from me, embarrassing me in front of Ellen. So I didn't expect I could this time. I didn't see what the big deal was. I wasn't planning on drinking myself stupid.

"I suppose we don't really need it anyway," Michael said. "Look, there's Tara."

"I don't want to talk to her," I said. "Let's see if we can find Jared and Hank instead."

As we made our way around, we found my brother and Breanne. I didn't see Brenda anywhere.

"Here you are little bro," Barry said and handed me a glass of something.

"You're actually going to let me drink this time?" I asked.

"Not a lot, but a few glasses will be fine," he told me. "Maybe less. You won't get another glass until later. I want you to drink it in moderation. They have butterbeer here."

Brenda suddenly turned up.

"He is twelve-years-old Barry," she said. "He should have that glass and that one only. I think he shouldn't have any, but since you've already given it to him… that's it. You're supposed to be Head Boy."

"Fine," he said but when she looked away, he winked at me.

Michael grabbed one as well. I didn't want to drink too much anyway, but I've always wondered what it was like. When I took my first sip, I nearly gagged. Why did people like this so much?

"What is this?" I asked.

"Wine," Barry answered.

"It's disgusting," I said.

"Reason why I'm starting you off with that," he laughed. "If I gave you something tasty, you'd want more."

Michael took a drink of his own and also gagged. It was almost dry tasting too… even if it was liquid. As I drank it down, I did feel warmth. I've tried butterbeer, it's not strong at all. Usually it warmed you up, but this was warmer. I had to wonder what the stronger stuff was like then. I figured the wine Barry gave me couldn't be very strong at all since he was letting me have my first taste of alcohol. Stuff like firewhiskey must burn then.

"What do Muggles drink for alcohol?" I asked Michael as we went looking for some of our first year friends.

"Almost the same stuff I guess," he said. "Your brother mentioned beer? Well, we have that as well. There is whiskey, rum, vodka… my parents drink it a lot, but I've never tried it. I've never wanted to try the really strong stuff. Beer isn't too strong I think, but it can make some people drunk. If I were to drink one, it would probably make me buzzed at most because I don't have experience with it."

I didn't see why he would have wanted to try the strong stuff anyway. The glass of wine was already making me feel a little light headed. I guessed it explained why Barry wanted me to have it in moderation. I decided to grab a bottle of pumpkin juice as we found Jared and Hank. I decided I didn't want another glass of wine anyway.

We tried to get to Harry Potter a number of times that night, but he was always surrounded. We had fun anyway, although I had to try and cut Jared off. He didn't seem to care about the affects of alcohol when he managed to get some. We wanted to hide from the teachers that he drank too much, so we left Slughorn's office in a group of all the first years.

"He's lucky I don't go off and tell," Tara said scrunching up her nose when he belched.

"Of course you would go do that miss good-goody," Don, who was behaving for once, said.

"He's eleven, he shouldn't have been drinking in the first place," she said. "It's disgusting."

Secretly I had to agree with her. The Slytherin's, Gryffindor's and Ravenclaw's took off when we made it to the stairs that would take us down to our Common Room.

"You know, this really was stupid buddy," I said to Jared. "Why did you drink so much?" I looked at Hank. "Why did you let him drink so much?"

I didn't know he had. It didn't look like he was. I only had one, and that was enough for me. I thought he had two, but apparently not…

"No, it was like six or-" Melanie began.

Jared stopped and suddenly threw up on the ground causing us all to jump back. This was why I didn't understand why people drank so much.

"Oh ew!" Sarah shrieked.

"Let's just get him to the Common Room shall we?" Hank asked and shoved Jared ahead.

"You're an idiot," Melanie told Jared.

"Oh shut up," he said as he wiped his mouth. "Geez, I know. Think I'm enjoyin this, cause I'm not. Don't like it, then go way."

Thankfully we got him into the Common Room with no more problems. Hank led him to the boys dorms, but Michael and I saw that Ashley and Ellen were still awake. So we went over to them to talk. Jared was going to have a headache the next day.

**Michael**

I was not happy that December was here.

I was happy to finally be able to practice with other people in Defense, but it was getting closer and closer to the Holidays.

In our first class in December, Professor Fraymen announced that we were finally going to be working with different people.

"Next class I am bringing in some seventh years for you to watch," he told us.

For that class, we weren't just working with one person. Professor Fraymen's goal was for us to try and duel with everyone before the end of the term. So he put up a timer, and when it went off, we had to find someone else to work with.

My first person was Maisie, so I was kind of glad about that.

"Using only what we've learned… three, two, one go!"

Maisie shot a the Jelly-legs hex at me right away, but I had a shield up right away. We dueled for not even a minute before I managed to hit her with the body-bind curse. We kept going until the timer went off. She quickly ran over to Ashley. I looked around for someone else to fight. Edward walked over to me.

By the time the first class was over, I had dueled Maisie, Edward, Denver, Ashley, Keith, Dan, Melanie, Jessica, Fran (a Slytherin girl) Delilah, (another Slytherin girl) Morgan, Ben, Ellen and Xavier. I won ten out of those thirteen duels, so I felt good about that.

The next class, we didn't do much for the first one. Instead, Slughorn invited three pairs of seventh years to the class. Barry, Ben's older brother was one of them. It was scary to see how fast they whipped their wands, it was almost a blur. They didn't stand in one spot either. They backed up, jumped to the side, walked in circles and managed to keep it going for over five minutes. Barry stunned his friend Nick.

The stunner was a hex that knocked a person right out.

"You won't be using that until fifth year," Professor Fraymen informed us.

I didn't think I could get to that level, and I suddenly felt very mediocre after watching them fight like that. How did they do it? I had to remind myself that these people had fought for their lives only months before. I couldn't even imagine it.

"By the end of your seventh year, that's how you'll do it," he told us after they left.

No one bothered to contradict him anymore about it. He seemed to believe that he would still be here in six and a half years. I don't know how he expected to do it when no other teacher has managed to do it.

The rest of December to my dismay went by way too quickly. The only thing that good came out of it was Slughorn's party. Which was fun, until Jared had to drink too much.

"How much did he drink?" Ellen asked that night.

"Too much," Ben said.

"Why did you let him?" Ashley asked.

"We didn't know he had that much," I said.

Ben and I hadn't stayed with him all night. Most of the night was spent trying to get to Harry Potter, but we never did. We went around to different groups of people that night though. We talked to Ben's siblings a few times, some of the second years we knew and some of the other older students. We didn't know about Jared until we saw Hank trying to get him to drink some pumpkin juice. Melanie and Sarah were trying to hold him up.

"Idiot," Ellen said and shook her head.

"He'll pay for it tomorrow," Ashley said. "My sister did that once. She was throwing up for half the morning. I wouldn't fancy feeling that way on a train."

"Glad I don't have to sit with him," I said.

Sometimes my parents were hung-over in the mornings, so I knew he'd pay for it. He was scrawny so it would probably be worse on him.

"We'll have to tell Hank to give plenty of water," I said. "I know people are usually very dehydrated after a night of drinking."

We went to bed shortly afterwards. When Ben I got down to the dormitory, it was find that Jared was sleeping in the washroom, I was kind of thankful for that.

* * *

Christmas hols next chapter, then New Years after that.


	13. Christmas

**Ashley**

It felt really strange to be home again. My mother met me outside of the platform this time. We could only leave the platform a few people at a time, so Ben and Michael went first, and then Ellen and I went next. I spotted my mother right away. Our parents were getting together so that we could discuss New Years, so when I saw her, I pointed her out to my friends. Then they went off looking for their parents.

Ben and Barry looked a lot like their father, while the girls looked like their mother. Brenda had a sharper look to her, maybe it's because she was very uptight, while Breanna and her mother had softer features. They were all very beautiful though. The boys were all handsome. They were definitely a good-looking family.

"Hello Ashley, it's nice to finally meet you," Mrs. Hoofer said as she shook my hand. "Ben writes a lot about you."

"Mum…" Ben said sounding embarrassed.

She greeted my mother next, and so did Mr. Hoofer. Breanne and Barry greeted me, but Brenda only glared before she looked away.

"He really does talk a lot about you," Breanna said to me and smiled.

"You and Ellen," Barry said. "Doesn't talk much about the other kid. Wonder why that is…"

Ben's face went red.

Ellen hurried over with her parents and little brother as my mother and Ben's parents talked. She introduced both Ben and I to her parents. Timmy was a little cutie. He had blond hair, and blue eyes… one of those kids you just wanted to pinch their cheeks.

"Hi! My name is Timmy, I am six-years-old," he said excitedly. "Who are you?"

After Ellen's parents greeted us, they began to talk to my mother as well. It turned out we all didn't really live that far from each other. Different towns, but it wouldn't be a long drive at all.

"My parents aren't coming," Michael said when he walked over. "But you told me your address, so I'll know where to go on News Years Eve."

"Are you sure they aren't late?" Ben asked.

Michael nodded.

"I called them when I couldn't find them, um, they couldn't make it. So they are going to pay a cab driver. I just have to call one, I guess. So I'll see you then."

The adults stopped talking when he said this. They were all frowning.

"Where do you live?" Mrs. Hoofer asked.

Michael told her the address.

"That's actually not out of our way. We sometimes go through that town to get into ours. You can come with us. You don't need to be waiting here by yourself," she said.

She looked at my mother.

"So, I'll see you New Years Eve then. We don't have one of those… phony things but we an owl. Ben will likely write to your daughter, so if anything comes up, we'll let you know. Bye, Ashley, it was nice meeting you," she said.

The Hoofer kids said good-bye, and then they left with a very embarrassed Michael, who had tried to protest.

"We have an owl as well," Mrs. Perenge told my mother. "But we own a telephone as well. We try to let the children learn about our old customs as well as the wizarding world. We have your number, so we'll call and I expect our daughters will keep in touch."

When they were gone, my mother and I left. I wondered who was picking us up, or how we were getting home. My mother didn't drive, she didn't know how and never wanted to learn. She was too scared to. I expect we wouldn't have been able to afford it anyway.

"Who's picking us up, and where is Jaime?" I asked.

"At home," mum answered. "Pat drove me in to pick you up. So your sister stayed home to watch the boys."

Pat is our neighbour, she is a single mother as well. She has two boys, Dwayne who is eight and Louie, who is four. She usually helped us out when we needed it.

"So wizards don't own phones?" She asked me as we walked over to Pat's car, which was still a distance away.

Pat didn't know about me of course, so I guessed she wanted to ask before we got in.

"No, they are actually really old fashioned," I answered. "They just do everything they need to do with magic. They don't know anything about Muggle's either. Ben didn't know what a walkman was, or what CD is… or anything. They listen to the radio though."

We got to the car, so we couldn't talk anymore. Mum put my trunk in the cars trunk, and then we got in.

---  
Jaime was very interested to know about my life at school. She was disappointed that I couldn't show her any magic, but I assured her that when I was seventeen, I would.

I was very interested in knowing what had happened in the four months I was gone. Jaime told me what music was popular lately, apparently The Spice Girls really weren't as much as they had been at the beginning of the year. They were a girl band who had been popular for a bit that year, but I believed one of them in May…

She had me listen to the latest music in her room so I would know. I warned her that my friends likely wouldn't know most of the music.

"Ellen listened to some Muggle music, because of her parents, but she doesn't know much of it. Ben won't know any at all. Michael is Muggleborn though, so he'll know," I told her.

"They're not going to say anything about that… world, are they?" Jaime asked.

"No, Muggle's can't know about the wizarding world," I told her. "They know that."

"Well make sure you don't call them Muggle's either. Actually, they might think you're talking about drugs anyway," she told me.

During the holidays, I was glad for the time I could spend with my sister. Before I'd gone to school, she'd often act as if I were a nuisance if I was around too much. However, during the day, she wanted to spend time with me. When her friends came around at night, she would often want me to go away though. If was fine though, I didn't mind.

On Christmas day, our family all got together. A lot of them asked me about school, and it was hard to answer some of the questions. Some of the classes were hard to substitute for normal Muggle one's. Potion's could be science, History of Magic could be regular History, Herbology I could just call Horticulural and Astronomy was easy enough. Transfiguration, Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts was hard though.

Luckily, the announcement that my aunt was pregnant was a good distraction, and people soon forgot about my far away boarding school.

If it was my mothers side of the family that I got the magic from (I doubted it since Jaime wasn't magical) then would this baby be magical as well?

It was something I thought about a lot. I hadn't seen most of the people on my dad's side of the family since I was nine or so. My father's parents still kept in contact with my sister and me, but I hadn't seen my other relatives on that side for years. If they were magical, I didn't know about it.

According the Ben, there was a chance that one of my ancestors was a squib, and that the magic finally came through me. He said it could have been decades ago though. I wanted to trace my ancestry to see, but so far I wasn't sure.

As I watched my grandmother talk to my aunt about the baby though, I wondered just what life it would have.

The gifts I was given that year were ones I really couldn't use at school. My mother gave me a Discman, but to her defense, she didn't know that I wouldn't be able to use it. I wasn't going to tell her either. I would take it with me, even though it would be useless at school. At least I'd be able to listen to when it when I was home.

Luckily, the majority of my gifts were books. Everyone knew that I liked to read, so that's what I was given.

Ellen and Ben sent gifts to me that night. I'd told them to wait until night because I wasn't sure when my family would leave. Ellen sent me a really pretty friendship necklace. It said _st ends _on it, and it was half a heard. She had the front end of it.

_I'll have one just like it. When we put them together, they magically hold together. Although I don't see why we'd want them to do that since they're around our necks, but I really liked them. I was thinking of sending a pair to Michael and Ben, just to see what their reactions would have been… ha ha ha. I told Ben what I was getting you, and I asked him if he wanted to wear one with me. His reply was very funny._

_Thanks for the treats, and don't worry that you couldn't give me much. I've never really tried Muggle treats before, so they were really good._

I baby-sat a few times for my neighbour, but I wasn't sure what to buy wizarding kids, and my mother wouldn't let me go to London. So with the money I earned, I bought them different kinds of candy and chocolate bars, and I made three treaty bags. I'd sent them before when Ben and Ellen last wrote to me with their owls, and I'd asked Ben's owl if it could stop at Michael's place first. It understood me, because he had called to thank me. He told me he was sorry that he couldn't afford anything to send to any of us. I didn't mind, and I was sure they didn't care either.

Ben's was more or less the same as what I sent him, except he sent wizarding treats. He gave me chocolate frogs and Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans.

_Sorry, I'm not really sure what to send a girl… but I know you like chocolate. You can share the beans with your sister and mother, I'm sure they'll be surprised. And thanks for the treats as well. They're as good as our treats are. I wasn't sure if I would like them or not, but they are really good. I guess Muggle's know what they are doing after all. Anyways, see you New Years Eve._

My mother and sister were surprised. The first time I tried the Jelly Beans, I was shocked when I got one that tasted like onions. I really didn't like them too much, but I had fun sharing them. My mother didn't want anymore after she ate one that tasted blood. She had nearly thrown up.

**Ellen**

As soon as we got home from the train station, Timmy demanded all of my attention. I did miss the little guy, so I sat down with him to play his childish games. He knew that I was at school to learn magic, so he kept asking if I would teach him it. I tried to explain to him that I couldn't do magic outside of school, but he got upset.

At dinner, my parents actually sat down to lecture me about my school work. I brought home my marks with me, and they were not pleased at all.

"We are sending you there to learn, not to slack off," dad told me.

"Why are you failing some classes?" mum asked. "What do you do while your there?"

"Are you distracted by those boys?" Dad demanded.

I had to laugh at that one. Ben bugged me to do my work when I was distracted.

"No, it's not my friends," I said. "Ben is at the top of the year, or almost and he always nags at me to do my homework."

"So why don't you listen to him?" Mum asked.

"You never acted this way when I was in primary school," I said. "Why are you all of a sudden on my back? I mean, as long as I am passing those classes by the end of the year, why does it matter?"

I couldn't remember my parents ever getting upset by my marks. If the teachers complained, my mother would tell them that I worked at my own pace. What was the difference now? Why were they suddenly acting like parents?

"We wanted you and Timmy to experience the Muggle world as well as the wizarding one," mum began. "Also, we wanted you to learn the basics. Most wizarding parents teach their kids at home. You only really needed to know how to read, write, and do maths. You've always been exceptional at that, even if you didn't apply yourself. But, we didn't care if you didn't do as well in school because you'd be going to Hogwarts soon anyway. Why would you need to know about English literature at Hogwarts?"

"Now however, you are learning what you'll need to know in life," my dad continued on. "Every subject you take at Hogwarts is important for when you leave. We knew, even if you failed at primary school, that you'd leave eventually anyway."

"Perhaps we should have paid more attention and taken primary school more seriously though," mum sighed. "That way you'd have better self-discipline. I know that you think since you're only a first year, it doesn't matter, but it does. You have to do better, Ellen."

I figured I would have had my parents on my side, but apparently not. And they were going to be stricter too. As soon as dinner was over, my mother demanded to see the homework that I had for the holidays. She went over all of it, and I felt very annoyed.

"I want you to get at least four of your classes done by News Years Eve," she told me. "If not, you can't go to your friends. You can do the other three during your last week."

I couldn't believe this. Oh well, I would just do all seven of them and get them out of the way…

"And I am going to look over it when you're done. I know what a passing essay is, and what isn't. If I don't feel that it's good enough, then you'll do it again."

Wow, they have certainly changed a lot. However, I decided to do it. I really didn't want to repeat the first year, and Professor Sprout did say I have a lot of catching up to do. So the next day, I worked on Herbology first since it was my favourite class. I decided to do all seven classes anyway, that way they were done.

One day, we went to Diagon Alley to pick some stuff up. I decided to get Ashley's, Ben's and Michael's Christmas gifts. I really had no idea what to get boys. When I shopped for Timmy, it was easy because he's so little. Now however, I was shopping for people my own age.

Ashley's gift was easy enough. I found a really nice friendship necklace in a store my parents wanted to stop in. I asked my mother if I could get it, and she said it was cheap enough, so I got it. It was silver, with the words BEST FRIENDS but it could be taken apart. According to the card, only true best friends could connect it together magically. I really didn't understand why we would want it to connect in the first place.

"It's so you know if the person your friends with is a true friend," my mother explained when I asked.

"We still probably won't want it to be connected, why would we test it anyway? I know she's a loyal friend," I said.

"Yes, right now it could connect, but what if it doesn't six years from now?" She asked. "You two could drift apart and not be true friends anymore."

"But then we wouldn't try to connect it together," I said. "We probably wouldn't wear them."

"You're missing the point completely," mum said.

I thought she was the one missing the point. Why would we connect them? We'd be wearing it to show that we were best friends. We wouldn't connect them together and stand there. We'd look like idiots. They were nice enough though, so I bought them.

I wasn't sure what I was going to buy Ben, until my mother and father decided that I needed more parchment. At the shop, I looked around at the quills feeling bored when I found a really nice one. Most quills don't last, or they break easily. This one wouldn't though, and it made from mahogany, it was a rich brown colour. I could get it engraved if I wanted. I knew for sure that I had to get it for him.

Dad thought it was kind of pricey, but ever since mum found out that Ben cared more about my school work then me, she decided she really like him. So she let me get it for him. I had To Ben from Ellen engraved on it. Of course the shop keeper thought I was getting it for a boyfriend, so I was blushing when we left the shop.

"These two boys you hang out with…" Dad began slowly. "They are just friends, right?"

"Yes dad," I said and sighed. "I'm not even interested in boys. The sixth and seventh years are always making out in the common room. It's digusting."

"You're opinion will change soon," mum said.

"I hope not," dad said. "Listen kid, kissing is bad. Wait until you're thirty before you do it. Or maybe even when I'm dead."

"I really, really don't want to talk about this right now," I said.

"Let's go to Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes!" Timmy suddenly shouted.

Did I mention I love my little brother? Not only did it cause a distraction because he ran off to the shop, so my parents had to chase him, but I figured I could get Michaels present there as well.

I loved the Weasley's joke shop. They had a lot of great stuff there. It was better than any joke shop I'd been to, and it wasn't really just a joke shop. They had other useful stuff there as well. My dad never let me near the witches stuff though. There was a variety of perfumes and love potions. I would never buy one of those though. My mother once said she doubted I would need one though. She thought I'd be really pretty when I got older.

I wasn't going to go near any of that stuff that day though. I didn't want my parents to bring the kissing stuff back up again. So I started to look for a gift for Michael instead. He already had extendible ears; apparently McGonagall let him take a quick look last summer. That information had upset Ashley, since she hadn't been allowed to explore Diagon Alley.

I thought about getting him a box of Skacking Skiveboxes, but my parents noticed me looking at them, and pushed me away. So I had to look some more. I found a Reusable Hangman, during History of Magic, one of his favourite games for us to play is hang-man. Although he couldn't use it then (although I doubt Binns would have noticed) he could use it any other time. So I decided to get it.

When I got home, I wrote to Ben and told him what I got Ashley and Michael.

_I was going to get the necklaces for you and Michael to wear as well. Then I thought, maybe I should get one for you and me as well, wouldn't that be fun?_

I was just joking of course, but I wanted to see what his reaction would be. He wrote back not much longer after that.

_I wouldn't wear a friendship necklace at all. You'd be wasting your money because I would chuck it out the window. I wouldn't wear a necklace at all, but why would I wear one anyway? They are stupid, what would I do? Go around Hogwarts and say "Ooh look I'm wearing this because we're __**best**__ friends!" Yeah no thanks. You already know I'm your friend. Me putting up with you should be enough to prove that._

_By the way I knew you were kidding. _

_Friendship necklaces and bracelets __**are**__ stupid though. I don't know why girls wear them._

Ashley sent her gift to me before Christmas. It was a bag of Muggle treats, which I shared with Timmy. In her letter, she apologized for not sending a better gift. Didn't she know that it's the thought that counts? I didn't mind at all. I knew her family really didn't have much money. Michael was upset because he couldn't send me anything, but I knew he was worse off, so I didn't care. I told him not to worry about it.

Ben's gift didn't come until Christmas day. My mother's parents were there when it came, but as they were used to my mother being magical, they barely noticed. I had to wonder what it was like for Ashley's family, or Michael's.

He sent what Ashley did, except they were wizarding treats. He wrote thanking me a lot for the quill. He also said he wasn't sure what to get for a girl, so it was the reason why he sent me Chocolate frogs and Every Flavours Beans. It didn't matter, because I wasn't sure what to get boys. I'd hoped that the boys' would like my gifts, and they had. It would be easier next year for their birthday's or Christmas.

Everything I got was stuff for school. My parents also bought me some more clothes, so I was pleased about that.

We had Christmas again the next day, except with my father's family. Apparently my parent's parent's didn't get along so, we never had big family get together's. I would have thought they'd be different from most In-Laws because they had something in common. It had to be confusing for Muggle's to learn that their children are magical.

I guess it doesn't really matter though, for some reason, they don't like each other. It seems to happen with most families too. I hoped that wouldn't be the case with whoever I married. According to Ben's sisters, there was a chance I could end up marrying Ben or Michael. Maybe I would marry Ben. My parents liked his parents.

Not that I like Ben. I don't like any boys right now.

That can change when I'm older though. Ben and I might change and like each other when we're in the sixth year.

**Ben**

My parents love kids. I guess they'd have to considering that they had four. They always want to take of our friends. When Barry first started school, my parents latched right onto Nick and Tasha. They let him invite them over for a couple of days during the Christmas holidays. They came to our place for New Years, and then let them stay afterward. They did the same during the Easter break, and then in the summer. In the summer, they stayed for a couple of weeks though.

When Brenda started school, she didn't make any friends. They were kind of disappointed about that. I think they want to be the kind of parents that always have the house full. Maybe it's because they miss us when we're at school.

Breanne made friends with four girls when she started school. I hated when they came over because they were so noisy. And even though I'm only two years older than Breanne, they all had to call me cute.

Two years ago, one of Breanne's friend's parents had to go a way for a month, and my parents automatically jumped up to let her stay. That's just the kind of people they are. So it wasn't a surprise that when Michael mentioned that he had to take a cab home, my parents immediately spoke up.

We were all shocked when we dropped him off at his place. He had told me it was a shack, but I hadn't expected what I saw. How did people live that way? I knew he was embarrassed, but he thanked my parents. Then he ran for the house. I think he wanted to get away before my parents could say anything.

"Wow," Barry said as soon as we drove away.

"We can't do anything about it," my father suddenly said.

I expected that my mother must have been about to say something then.

"We can't interfere," he continued on.

"I wonder if their car even runs," Brenda said. "It looks so… rusty."

I wondered why that was why he was so surprised when we told him we had a car. When he asked us how we were getting there, my mother mentioned the car.

"Really?" He asked. "Oh."

He was even more surprised when all five of us could all fit in the car comfortably. We didn't use the car often, most of the time my parents preferred to travel by floo, but if they are going to take all of us to a Muggle place, they use the car. It was the best way to fit all of our trunks in. Dad had bought it off one of his Muggleborn friends a year before Barry started school. It was in really good condition though.

I decided not to say anything to Michael about his house either. I didn't want to embarrass him anymore then he already was.

When we got home, mum made us all sit down and talk about school. It's something she did every year. The year before, she'd done it as soon as they got in the car. This year however, she made us all food before we sat down to all talk. She made me go first as it was my first year.

"I told you about school in my letters," I said.

"Yes, but this is different from a letter. We don't get as much information in a letter as we will now."

So I had to sit there and talk about how I liked Hogwarts. They were most interested in Hufflepuff house since I was the first to go there. They were very surprised that the hat had sorted me there right away. Breanne told them her theory. I was relieved when it was Breanne's turn to talk.

"Brenda has something _very_ interesting to talk about," Barry said with a smirk after Breanne finished. "I just found it out myself. I can't believe they kept it from me."

"Brenda actually has something interesting to say?" I asked. "That's a start."

"Ben," my mother scolded. "Go on, Brenda."

"It's really not that big of a deal," she said and blushed.

She had a boyfriend. It was obvious from that point. And I was surprised because she was the most boring person in the world.

"Yes it is, because it's my best friend!" Barry said.

"Nick?" Breanne and I asked at the same time.

"You're dating Nick?" I asked. "But he's… fun."

"Nick is such a good kid," mum said. "I've always liked him."

"You tell him to treat her right," dad told Barry.

Brenda's face was glowing that point. I didn't blame her though. It had to be embarrassing to have the whole family find out at the same time. She knew my mother would want details too, so that made it worse because she would have to tell all of us it.

"So, how did it happen? When?" Mum asked. "I was under the impression that you two didn't get along."

Brenda sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get out of this.

"The beginning of the year," she answered. "He is doing his NEWTs of course, so he was struggling. Barry made fun of him for about it, so he came to me for help."

"But you're a year younger," I said. "And how can you start to like each other from studying anyway?"

"Ben please," Breanne said.

"I'm good at Arithmancy," Brenda answered. "So I understood the problems right away. We hung out more after that because Tasha and Barry are always staring at each other, but never do anything about it. He gets tired of it, so he spent more time with me since I could help him out with his other work. When the first Hogsmeade trip came up, he asked me to go with him. We've been together since."

"And neither of you noticed?" I asked Breanne and Barry.

"Well, I don't pay much attention to Barry or Brenda," Breanne answered. "Sure I noticed she was helping him, but that was it. And as Brenda said, Barry and Tasha like each other but they won't do anything about it."

"So do you love him?" Mum asked Brenda.

"Mum, I really don't want to talk about this, especially with the whole family together. We've talked about me, so can we go to Ben now? I want this-this family meeting to be over. I don't know why we always have to have these."

For once I agreed with Brenda.

"Your father and I don't get to see you much. Soon you're all going to be off on your own. So I'm sorry if I want to have some family time together. Next year, Barry is going to be gone."

"That's fine, but I don't want to talk about my relationships with the whole family together," Brenda said. "You don't how embarrassing this is."

"Because it's your first boyfriend, and probably your last?" I asked.

"Ben!" Mum said.

"Well she is so boring," I said.

Brenda got up and left the room angrily. I took that as 'family time' is over, so I went to get up too.

"Are you going so you can apologize to your sister?" Mum asked.

"No," I said.

"Then sit down," she said. "Barry hasn't talked yet."

"Mum, you know it's going to be the same as usual. I did my homework, I went to classes and I hung out with my friends. It's the same thing I tell you every year," Barry said impatiently. "You know most families don't do this."

"Fine!" Mum said angrily. "Go then. I'm sorry to be interested in your lives. We don't do this anymore."

_Good_ I thought to myself.

"You can ask what you want, I just don't want to do it this way," Barry said and he waved his hand around at all of us sitting together. "Won't we be getting family time on Christmas?"

Later I heard mum complaining to dad about our attitudes.

"They're all teenagers now," he told her. "Times change. Anyway, I'm not sure I like Brenda dating Nick."

"He's a good kid. You just don't want her dating anyone," mum retorted.

I went to Barry's room later to ask him why he wouldn't do anything about Tasha.

"It's complicated," he told me. "We've been good friends since we were twelve-year-olds. Well, she was eleven, but you know what I mean. A six year friendship isn't exactly something you want to wreck. It might happen if we do date. Believe me, when you get older, there is a chance the friendship between the little girls you hang around with now will change."

"It won't with Ashley," I said quickly. "I want to date pretty girls. You should see her sister! _She's_ pretty. I wonder why Ashley isn't."

"Her looks are a bit… harsh aren't they?" Barry asked. "And I don't think she's one of those girls who will grow into her looks either. She kind of looks like her mother, but not really."

"I have to wonder where her sister gets her looks from," I said.

Ashley's mother looked all right, she was pretty, but she wasn't beautiful. So it was a wonder that she managed to have a daughter that looked as good as Jaime. She had some of Ashley's features, but they weren't as harsh.

As the holidays continued, Breanne asked me what I was getting for my friends.

"I have to buy them gifts?" I asked.

"You don't have to, but you might feel like an ass when they buy you something," she said.

I had no idea what to buy for eleven-year-old girls. I decided to get all three of them the same thing when I went to Diagon Alley with Barry. I bought three bags of Chocolate Frogs and three boxes of Bertie Bott Beans. That would be enough.

Ellen told me what she got for Michael and Ashley when she wrote. She joked around about buying me a friendship necklace. That would go over well with the guys in my dorm… and Barry to. Also, they are stupid. Why wear a necklace or bracelet that says you are friends? You already know that. It just seems ridiculous to me.

On Christmas Day, it was wild at my house. My dad's family came over and he has three brothers and two sisters, who all have kids as well. One of them is named Sam, he is ten. Before I started at Hogwarts, I spent a good amount of my time with him. I was sure he would be a Ravenclaw when he went. Since I am the different one, I'd likely be the only Hoofer in Hufflepuff.

The rest of the cousins are either out of school, with their own kids or their kids are all really too young. My Aunt Jeanne's kids are actually school-aged, but she married a Bulgarian, so her kids go to Durmstrang. The house was full of babies crying, little kids squealing, and people shouting. Sam and I eventually went up to my room so I could tell him more about Hogwarts.

"Maybe I'll try to be different too," he said. "My sisters were all Ravenclaw's and they're a lot older than me."

Sam was an unexpected kid. My dad's oldest brother, Gerald had his kids years ago. Just when my dad graduated from school, the girls were about to start about four or five years later. And then ten years ago, when they were all grown up, he was born.

My dad's the middle child, it went Uncle Gerald, Aunt Marcelle (whose kids just finished two or three years ago) my dad, Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Tom. Uncle Tom's kids will be starting school in a few years. Dad's parents had the kids at least four or five years apart.

Over the next few years, I could guarantee that people were going to ask me if the cousins were my siblings.

"Might happen," I said.

I was kind of relieved when the day was over. I liked New Years because none of the little cousins came, just the older ones. For years, my siblings and I were the only ones who were the young ones there. Usually my uncles and aunts, and older cousins left the ones who were too little with a sitter. That way they wouldn't have to watch them when they drank.

We had our Christmas with mums family next and it was quiet because she was an only child.

**Michael**

I knew as soon as I got off the train that my parents wouldn't be there. Luckily I had some Muggle money on me, so I called home to see.

"Oh, didn't we tell you in the last letter?" Mum asked. "The car broke down and your father can't fix it."

I was embarrassed when Ben's parents offered to take me home. Although, I was curious too. I heard that wizards really don't drive. They usually only did if the parents were Muggleborn or something. Ben's family is pureblood. But… in the parking lot was a car.

I didn't know how all five of us were going to fit into the car, but we did and comfortably. I didn't really get it at first. Then when Ben's father mentioned that he'd bought it from a Muggleborn friend who had added 'tweaks' to it for the Hoofer family, I understood. He'd done something magical to it to make it so that everyone could fit. It kind of surprised me.

"Don't think he did anything to it," Mr. Hoofer continued. "It looks like any other car. He wouldn't tell me what he did though."

He didn't?

Anyway, I tried to convince them to drop me off uptown instead of at my house, but Mrs. Hoofer complained about the cold. So they dropped me off at my small house that looked a lot worse in the winter. I didn't want to know what they were thinking. In the summer time, it didn't look too bad, but anyone could see just how bad we had it in the winter. The entire neighbourhood was like that.

I thanked them quickly, and practically ran into the house. When I went inside, it was to find that no one had really cleaned during the four months I was gone. Beer bottles were scattered across the floor, the coffee table was covered. There was an ashtray that was very full, and various junk littered the floor.

I was never inviting my friends over.

Mum was slouching in one of the chairs, while dad was lying on the couch. And they were both drinking.

"Do you need money for the cab?" Mum asked.

"No, my friends parents dropped me off," I answered as I looked around the room.

The television was on, but it was a blurry picture. We probably didn't have cable. Again.

"Did the garbage throw up in here?" I asked disgusted.

"I know…" Mum said. "We meant to have this cleaned up before you came home, but people came over last night."

"But take this money to go get some food. There is a grocery list in the kitchen. We don't have anything for supper. We'll have dinner, and then you can tell me about Hogwarts."

She was holding a tiny bundle of cash in her hand.

Where did they get money when they didn't work anyway?

After we had some food, I began to pick up around the house. I was not going to live in this mess for three weeks. I've always been the one to clean up, although mum does help. When I was younger, they made it a game for me. As I grew older though, I cleaned because I was embarrassed about it all. They must not have felt the same way, because they let get bad during the four months I was gone.

When I went to bed that night, I heard my parents arguing.

"I told you that we had to get the house cleaned up," mum was saying. "I didn't want him to see it this way."

"Oh it's fine, and he cleaned up didn't he?" Dad asked.

"But Michael looks down on us for this. I planned to have a job, and having the house looking good when he came home," mum said. "Since I didn't get hired anywhere, I thought…"

"The kids going to have to face reality at some time," dad said. "Think I like living with this way? Don't think I want a job and a nicer home? We're not going to find decent jobs because neither of us have a good education. I've been fired from too many jobs… my record just isn't good. This is your fault. You're the one who had a baby at fifteen."

"It takes two to tango," mum argued.

"It's the woman's responsibility to prevent it from happening. The kid is damn lucky. We have a roof over our heads, he has clothes… we could be a lot worse off."

"I'm just glad he's at that school… although it's a bit strange what their learning," mum said.

"Who cares? He is out of here. He looks like he gained weight, so we know he is getting the proper food. Maybe he'll actually get some where in life."

Dad had a father to son talk shortly after that with me. I've always known their situation, but he decided I was old enough to understand. He told me about how he and my mother fell in love… or what they thought was love ("fourteen, fifteen… they don't know what love is, hell I didn't really love her until years later when I saw her mothering you") and my mother got pregnant.

"I dropped out of school to work so I could support her. She dropped out of school to have a baby. We found this place after I worked for a few years (we lived with my parents, I don't know if you remember that) and then I got fired. We never wanted this life… but it's the way it is. So, I am warning you now. I don't understand your school, but that woman said you'd get a good job. So please, finish school, keep it in your pants and get a good job. I know you don't want to end up like this."

I wanted to ask why they drank so much then. If they got money from some where (I don't know where) then wouldn't they save more from not drinking? I didn't though. It was a sore topic with my dad.

Sometimes I wanted experiment with drinking, just as I did with the wine at the Christmas party, but I was scared to end up like my parents. So I didn't want to pull a Jared in case it started to happen more and more.

I was determined more then ever to get a good job after Hogwarts. If I did, I could get my parents out of the shack, and I wouldn't have to live in one. I would make good money, get married and my kids would grow up in a nice house. They wouldn't have to use the Hogwarts school fund.

During the next few days, I wrote back and forth with my friends, or called Ashley. I was surprised we still had phone service… and to my dismay, they were all sending me gifts. I didn't want any because I couldn't return the favour. They all told me they didn't care.

On Christmas Day, my mother managed to whip up some good food, and that was it. There were no gifts, but I told her I was too old for Christmas anyway.


	14. New Years Eve

**New Years Eve**

**Ashley**

My mother's new job must have been paying her a lot since she was able to splurge on so much. We had a lot of refreshments for the night. Jaime's friends also brought over snack food to add to the party. I don't there was ever a time that we had so much junk food in our house before. My neighbour even added her own to it.

The party wasn't only for us kids. My mother was inviting her own friends over. Jaime and her friends had discussed on how they were going to snack alcohol. I knew I wasn't going to try any. I'd witnessed two people drunk out of their minds, and I didn't want to end up that way. I was sure my friends would feel the same way. There was plenty of soda and juice for us though.

They weren't coming until the afternoon. Apparently Ben's parents had taken up responsibility over Michael. They had agreed to take him to and from school from now on. Since his parents couldn't drive him to my place, they were picking him up along the way to drop him off. He was quite lucky for that. Although during the last phone call, he told me he was really embarrassed by it.

Ellen arrived first. Her parents greeted my mother as if they were old friends before they left. As soon as they were gone, I took Ellen up to my bedroom.

"It's kind of small," I informed her.

"Where are we sleeping?" She asked me.

"You and I in here," I said as I entered my room.

There was an air mattress on the floor, all made up for her. There was barely any space left. I had the second smallest room in the house, not that it said much… the rooms in my home weren't very big. I had never noticed until I went to Hogwarts.

"The boys in the spare room," I continued and then showed her to the spare room.

They didn't have the luxury she had. We didn't have an extra air mattress, so we'd found an old foam mattress, and covered it with a sheet. There was one bed in there, but it was tiny, and the springs stuck out. The bed actually was once mine when I was younger, and then when I grew out of it, we moved it to the spare room.

I wasn't sure what they would think of our accommodations. I hoped they wouldn't judge me too much on it. I'd known Ellen long enough to know when she was faking, so I scrutinized her face as I showed her around the rest of the house. She didn't look disgusted at all. I was thankful for that.

"This must be Ellen," my sister said as we entered the kitchen.

She was just putting a bag of full of three kinds crisps on the table.

"You bought more snacks?" I asked.

"Never can have too many," she answered me before turning back to Ellen. "I'm Jaime, I'm sure you've heard about me."

"Oh yes," Ellen answered. "Just as I'm sure you've heard about me."

"Only good things of course," Jaime answered and laughed.

"Oh, you too," Ellen lied.

Well, half lied. I did complain about her a lot, but Ellen knew I also admired my sister a lot. Although, after a while, I felt jealous because as soon as the two of them started to talk, they seemed to become instant friends. I felt as if she was stealing my friends. Now I knew how she felt when I talked to her friends. Jaime kind of lost interest when she found out that Ellen didn't keep up with the latest bands or fashions… well she did, just not in the Muggle world.

"She seems nice," Ellen said to me later after she'd gone upstairs. "You're right, she _is_ beautiful."

When my mother was around, I noticed her looking at her and then at a photo of my sister and then frowned. She was likely trying to see the resemblance. My mother was pretty, but Jaime didn't look anything like her. Actually, I thought she looked like my grandmother when she had been in her teens. Most of her looks likely came from her father though.

Ben and Michael showed up not too much longer afterward. They both gaped, as if lost for words, as soon as they saw my sister. I had to snap my fingers to get their attention. After that, whenever she was in the room, Ben would watch her as she moved around. It was kind of funny in a way. I had to wonder if he had a crush on her.

When I showed the boys where they would sleep that night, I hoped they wouldn't be disgusted. Ben frowned, but Michael shrugged.

"Doesn't matter to me," he said. "Both look more comfortable then my bed. I'll take the foam mattress if you want though."

Ben just shrugged and then sat down on it.

"Doesn't feel comfortable," he said.

"We're letting you stay the night," my sister said sticking her head in the door. "Don't complain. Not everyone is rich."

"Oh, of course I wasn't complaining!" Ben said quickly and he grinned at her.

Jaime rolled her eyes and left the room.

"You told her I was rich?" He hissed at me. "Why would you do that?"

"Because you are?" Ellen asked.

"Yes, but you don't need to go around embarrassing me!" Ben said glaring only at me. "And we're not rich! We're a middle income family."

Yep, he definitely had a crush on my sister. I looked at Ellen with bemused; she looked as if it bothered her as well.

"Wow, as soon as a beautiful girl comes around you treat you friends like crap," Ellen said angrily. "Nice guy you are, yeah?"

"I wasn't angry with _you_," he said and then glared at me again.

"No, you're just angry with me," I said now feeling irritated. "If that bed is too uncomfortable for you, why don't you just go home?"

I turned on my heel and left the room, Ellen followed me looking just as angry.

"What's with them?" We heard Ben ask as we left.

We went into my room and shut the door. I hoped that was enough to show them that we didn't want them to come in. Ben could go downstairs and goggle at my sister if he wanted. I sighed and sat down on my bed.

"It's one thing to like a girl, but to act like a complete prat…" Ellen said and then shook her head angrily.

"I know," I agreed. "It's kind of cute he likes her, but he shouldn't be rude to me."

There was a knock on the door, and then it opened. Michael peeked in.

"Can we come in?" He asked.

"You can, since Ben is going to be rude to me because he's in love with my sister, he can go downstairs. He wants to be with her anyways," I said angrily.

"I'm not in love with your sister," he said and pushed the door open.

"Right," Ellen said and she rolled her eyes.

Ben didn't apologize, which annoyed me so I spent the rest of the day ignoring him, unless it was to snap at him. People started to arrive after six, my mother's friends, my sister's friends, my neighbour and our old baby-sitter with a few of her friends. I was surprised she wanted to be at our place as she was twenty-two, and no one was really her age. The older adults were all over thirty, and the kids were seventeen and under. Jaime's friends were all twelve to seventeen.

Ben spent the time talking to my sister's friends, and I figured it was because he was trying to get close to her. Michael discovered he had a lot in common with some of the guys my sister invited, so he was hanging around with a group of them. He looked pleased to be accepted by older boys. Ellen and I wandered around talking to different people, and eating until an older boy asked her to dance.

I went over to where the adults were to talk to my neighbour. I was hoping she hadn't lined up a baby-sitter for the summer yet.

"Do you have a baby-sitter for the kids for the summer yet?" I asked her as I sat down at the table.

"I really haven't thought that far ahead yet," she told me. "It's just the beginning of January… I take it you want a job then?"

I nodded. "I don't want to have to use the school funding. I am thinking of getting a job, so if you don't have anyone yet…?"

"You've babysat them before," she said and smiled. "You're old enough now, and your mother and sister will be next door."

I was relieved to have that worry behind me. I really felt embarrassed about using the school funding, and my mum knew that. She was talking about saving money for me for next year, and now she wouldn't have to. If I could baby-sit for my neighbour every summer until seventh year, that would be great. Then again, in a few summers I'd be old enough to get a real summer job if I couldn't baby-sit for her.

After I talked to her, I went to go find my friends again. Ellen was surrounded by a group of girls, who were all laughing. She seemed to blend in really well. Ben, of course was still ogling my sister. He was drinking a glass of soda (something he had never tried before… wizards don't drink soda) and talking to the group of friends she was with. Michael was still with the group of boys from earlier. I was surprised they'd managed to get along with my sisters friends so well.

I walked over to my old baby-sitter, Rachel, and her group of friends.

"Why are you here?" I asked her.

"Gee," she said. "You don't want to see your old sitter?"

"No, it's not that. It's just no one but your friends," and I nodded at the group she was with, who had all seen me row up, "are your age. I thought you'd be at a bar or something. You've gone to one since you were eighteen."

"Your mum asked me if I wanted to come… she wanted enough adults to make sure none of you kids drink," she answered. "I can't believe you're already twelve years old."

I laughed, although it was kind of annoying. I hated it when adults acted as if it was a surprise that I grew up.

I hung around Rachel for the rest of the evening, even when they starting to get silly. I didn't know that grown-ups still could act childishly at times… but apparently they could. No one would believe they were in their twenties from the way they acted. It was as if they were still in their teens… but as I gazed around the room at the people in their thirties or older, I realized that even the older adults acted like kids.

I felt embarrassed when I saw my mother sitting on some man's lap…. Why was she doing that?

"Have you been drinking?" I asked close to midnight when I noticed Ben stumbling.

"No," he said and grinned. "Your sister kissed me."

I looked over at Jaime and wondered why she would do that. She winked at me when our eyes met… and I realized that she was trying to humor him. She gave me a small smirk before she turned away. I turned back to Ben who still had the drunken look to him. Why was he acting so strange…? Ellen had kissed his cheek before, and he hadn't reacted that way. I was sure that when Ellen was thirteen, she would be prettier than my sister. She was already beautiful.

"You're strange," I teased.

He glared at me.

"You're just jealous!" He said.

"Jealous? Because my sister kissed you? What is your problem today?" I was shocked.

"Yes, jealous of your sister. Why don't you just get over yourself already? At school you're always complaining about her… and yet she isn't bad at all. She is probably a lot better than you are. All you do is whine and moan. She is a lot more fun too, you're boring."

The countdown was starting, but all I could do was stare at the boy who I'd thought was my best friend.

"Well, you know what? If you feel that way about me, I guess after tomorrow we don't have to talk to each other again."

My eyes were prickling with tears. Just as everyone shouted 'Happy New Years' or some kissed (like in my mothers case… how embarrassing) I turned and fled. It wasn't a Happy New Years at all.

**Ellen**

I was looking forward to New Years Eve. I'd be at a friend's house celebrating it, and I'd be away from my parents and brother. It would be my first party away from home. (Not counting Slughorn's party of course) A lot had changed in a year… that was for sure. Last year, I wouldn't have dared to be at a Muggle's place. Now, the year 1999 would bring some new changes. It would be a better year.

On the way to Ashley's, my parents lectured me.

"Ashley's mother told us there would be alcohol, but that none of you would have any," she told me. "She said she'd make sure that you didn't sneak any. I better not hear that you did. You're eleven-years-old…"

I was surprised she was letting me go after she heard that there would be alcohol at the party. I expected Ashley's mother must have talked her into it.

"You know I won't," I said. "I told you about that idiot Jared. I definitely don't want to end up like that. If that's what it does to people, then I don't know why adults drink it so much."

We arrived at Ashley's in the afternoon. From the way she had talked, I expected a tiny house, but it wasn't a bad size. Mine was bigger, but then again, both my parents worked. It was a cute house, one that you might find in story books. It even had a small white picket fence. Ashley hated that it was pink, but I thought that added some charm to it.

Once in the front door, there was a hallway, and staircase. At the end of the hallway, was a kitchen and dining room. In the middle of the hallway, there was a door that led to a tiny living-room, and from there you could reach the kitchen/dining room. Ashley seemed embarrassed when she took my upstairs to where there were four tiny bedrooms. I didn't really care; I'd been in smaller homes.

Michael didn't seem to care either when he and Ben arrived… but Ben on the other hand did. He didn't say anything, but I had to wonder if he'd ever been a small house, just by the look of shock on his face. Which was a surprise to me, because he'd told me what Michael's house looked like. So I didn't understand why he was acting the way he was. Ashley's place had to be better than Michael's.

The only time he made a comment was when we went into the tiny spare bedroom. He muttered that it was the size of one of the closets at his place. And then he complained that the bed wasn't comfortable. Ashley wasn't impressed, but it wasn't her who said anything to him. It was her sister, who basically told him that if he didn't like it, he could leave. And he acted like a complete prat after that.

Her sister was very pretty, but she wasn't that beautiful. Some of the girls at school could run circles around her… the Andrew twins for instance, or even Tara, and yet Ben acted as if he were in love. It annoyed me, and for some reason I felt a twinge of jealousy when I saw him look at her the way he did.

What angered me the most though was the way he treated Ashley. She had invited us to stay at her place, and all he could do was be rude to her after he met her sister. What kind of friend does that?

She stopped speaking to him after awhile, even though the four of us hung out for the rest of the day.

She took us around outside after our argument with Ben. It was a nice neighbourhood where the houses were more or less the same as hers. Her old school wasn't too far from our place, so she took us there to check it out.

"This is where I would have gone to school if I hadn't gone to Hogwarts," she told us when we arrived at the secondary school.

"They're kind of small…" Ben said slowly.

"Well it's a small town," Ashley snapped.

"No, I mean for a school though. Hogwarts is big…"

"Hogwarts is a castle," I reminded him. "School's for Muggle's are just regular buildings, but this is actually a fair size. The school in my town is smaller."

We wandered around the town a little while longer until we got cold, and then we went back to her place. Her mother served us a small dinner, explaining that we would probably eat more junk that night anyway. For a single mother, she seemed to do well. They had a lot of junk food that night, and the amount of alcohol surprised me. It was lucky my parents weren't there… although I'd seen more at their parties.

It wasn't long before people started to arrive. I was surprised about the amount of people that were friends with her sister, especially since they ranged from twelve to seventeen, maybe even eighteen.

"She gets along with her friends older siblings," Ashley explained to me. "Most of the older teens are her friend's older siblings."

"So if she didn't mind hanging around her friend's older siblings, then why didn't she like you hanging around her friends?" I asked. "Didn't you say she didn't think siblings should have the same friends?"

"She doesn't think that she and I should have the same friends," Ashley answered.

That seemed strange, especially since her sister should have known how lonely Ashley had been. The girl had changed a lot since we'd first met, but it had been obvious that she really hadn't had any social skills before.

I started to feel the smallness of the house when all of the people arrived, because there were just so many people there. Ashley and I wandered from group to group, talking to people. They wanted to know all about Hogwarts, and it was hard to lie. How could one explain classes, when they didn't know the classes Muggles took in secondary school? Ashley seemed to have it covered though, so I followed her lead.

As the night wore on, a boy who was probably thirteen or fourteen approached us.

"Hello, I was just wondering if you wanted to dance," he said to me.

I automatically felt flattered, so I nodded and went with to dance to some slow song. When it was over, he kept an arm around me, and led me over to a group of older people. They started to ask me about school, and how I had met Ashley and so on.

"Wait, you're only eleven?" The boy asked me when I revealed my age.

I nodded.

"You couldn't tell by her height?" One of the girls asked.

"I noticed she was short… but I thought since she was Ashley's friend, she'd be at least thirteen or so. Ashley's around that age isn't she?" He asked.

"Ashley just turned twelve," the girl said. "She's a first year. Jaime is the one who is thirteen… actually, she'll be fourteen soon."

"I thought they were older than that," he said glumly.

"How old are you?" I asked.

"Fifteen," he said. "I wanted to ask you out… but now it feels wrong."

He turned and disappeared into the crowd. Even though he was too old for me, I was kind of flattered.

"Jake is a strange one," the girl told me. "It's obvious you're young… and I'm just not meaning your height. You have a babyish face still. I'm Leah, by the way."

"When it comes to Jake, it doesn't matter as long as they have a pretty face," another girl said.

I found it odd that he was friends with Ashley's sister, and that he didn't even know her age. I later learned that he was a boy who lived in the neighbourhood. He had grown up with the girls, but hadn't really known them too well. I expected he was just there because of the party.

The girls I hung out with her all thirteen and older, but I found that I got along with them well. Although I didn't know Muggle fashions too well, or their music, I noticed they talked about other things as well. I spent most of the night with them. They were all very friendly, and didn't seem to care that I was only eleven-years-old. I was just excited that teen-agers seemed to accept me.

Ten seconds to midnight, everyone started to count down from ten. I was watching the television with a few of the girls, we watched as a ball dropped down while a crowd cheered it on. The people in the house were all screaming and kissing each other when it got to midnight. I was kind of surprised that they were all acting that way. Sure it was great that it was a New Year, but wasn't this a little too much? Adults were strange sometimes.

"Only one year left before the world is over!" Someone called.

I didn't know why everyone thought that the world would end in the year 2000; it didn't make sense to me. I was sure that the world would keep going, the same as always. I shrugged and went looking for my friends. I saw Ben getting told off by Ashley's old baby-sitter, so I walked past him to find Ashley or Michael.

"Have you seen your sister?" I asked Jaime after a while.

"Your friend upset her," she said angrily and glared at Ben. "I don't what he said to her, but he made her cry."

I decided to see if she was all right. I walked past the groups of people; some people were leaving, and headed for the stairs. In her room, Ashley was laying on her bed. She wasn't crying anymore, but it was obvious that she had been, her eyes were all swollen.

"So what did Ben say to you?" I asked.

Ashley told me that Ben accused her of being jealous of her sister, called her boring, and told her to get over herself.

"I mean, yes I am jealous of her… who wouldn't be if they looked like me? But he was acting as if me complaining about her at all was a bad thing. It was like I had insulted _him_ by complaining about her. Siblings always complain about each other. He complains about Barry non-stop because he is jealous of him, and the way he talks about Brenda-"

"I know," I said. "Ben is jealous of all three of them, and is scared that he won't do as well as they did, especially since he's Hufflepuff. He talks as if Brenda is this bad person all the time."

"Exactly," Ashley said. "He only reacted that way because he's in love with my sister. And if every time he acts like that when he likes a girl… well, I'm done with that. It was cute at first, but I'd hate to see how he would act around us if he ever gets a girlfriend. Maybe I do complain about my sister too much-"

"Not really," I interrupted. "He complains more than you do."

"Well, the point is, he is only acting like that because he likes her. I'm sick of it, so I'm done with it."

"You're ending your friendship with him?" I asked.

Ashley nodded.

"Well, I'll stand behind you. Ben is a good friend of mine… but you're my friend too," I said.

"Don't end your friendship with him on account of me," she warned me. "I've been a loner before; I can be a loner again. I don't want to be responsible for other friendships being broken up. You were friends with him before me."

That was true, but I wasn't going to stop being friends with her either. I sat thinking about how we were going to resolve this, when Ben entered the room. He didn't seem surprised to see me sitting on my mattress.

"Can I talk to Ashley alone please?" He asked.

"Nope," she said.

"Go ahead," I said. "Make sure it's a good apology."

I got up and left the room. Ashley glared at me, but I didn't care. It was better they worked it out so that no ones friendship ended. I left the room and went out to the hallway, where Ashley's old baby-sitter, Rachel was standing. She was a beautiful girl. She had long black hair, and hazel eyes. She was also very tall. I figured she had to be at least five foot nine. I wondered if I could ever get to be that tall.

"Ellen, right?" She asked.

I nodded.

"Any friend of Ashley's is a friend of mine," she said to me. "I've known those girls since they were babies. I remember once…"

As she started a story about the girls when they were little, she put an arm around me and led me back to the stairs.

**Ben**

I was very reluctant about going to Ashley's. I really wanted to be at home for New Years, because I was sure it would be more fun. However, I had made a promise, and plus we were Michael's ride as well. Next year for sure we would be doing it at my place. I felt jealous as I listened to my older siblings talk about it.

Instead, I was packing an overnight bag to go to Ashley's place. My father was the one driving us there. On the way there, he lectured me about being a 'good boy' and to mind my manners. I kept quiet during the talk. I behaved at Hogwarts, so I didn't know why he thought I wouldn't when I was staying over night at a friend's.

Barry had teased me before I left because I was staying at a girls place. I reminded him that it was only _Ashley_.

"I can guarantee that you'll date her when you're older," he told me and laughed.

"Yeah right," I muttered.

I would only be dating pretty girls, like her sister. I didn't mean to sound shallow, but it would be dumb to date a girl I wasn't attracted to. I did not find anything about Ashley the least bit attractive… and as Barry said, she was not going to grow into her looks. It was unfortunate, but that was life.

At Michaels, I had to actually go and knock on the door. I was kind of hoping that he would be waiting outside for us. His mother opened the door. She was kind of an overweight woman, but very tall. I was surprised that she could be on the big side when her son was so scrawny. His father, who was lying on the couch, was also tall but on the big side. At least I understood why Mike was so tall, but it was odd that his parents were big. Didn't they feed him?

The house smelled like cigarettes and alcohol… and something else, despite the fact that it did look clean. Michael appeared with a tattered bag over his shoulder. He called good-bye to his parents and left the house.

"It's a nice… house," I said.

"You don't have to lie," he said. "It's a shack, and it stinks… I know. Not much I can do about that. My parents have been living like that almost all my life. Some smells linger."

I wanted to know why his parents were on the big side when he was so scrawny. It didn't make sense to me at all. He didn't look as if he wanted to talk about it though, so we walked in silence to the car. Once inside, he stared moodily outside a back window, and didn't say a word for the rest of the trip.

At Ashley's place, I was hoping her sister would answer the door, but it was Ashley and Ellen. The house was tiny, so I was surprised that a family of three lived there. I guessed it was affordable for her mother though. I was surprised that even though they didn't appear to have much money, they had a lot of modern Muggle electronics. They even had one of those computer things.

The bedrooms were very small, but the spare room I had to sleep in was tiny. Breanne and Brenda had a closet bigger than that room. I tried not to show my shock, but it was hard. Especially when I noticed how uncomfortable the bed was. I felt bad for thinking the way I did, especially after Jaime told me off for it.

And then I found out that Ashley told her sister that I was rich. It bothered me because I didn't want Jaime to think that I looked down on low income families. She wouldn't want to be with a guy who judged her living situation. And then Ashley had the nerve to get angry with _me_. For some reason, Ellen did as well.

"What is with them?" I asked Michael when they stormed out of the room angrily.

"You offended them," he suggested and rolled his eyes.

"Well, Ashley's going around telling her sister I'm rich…" I said angrily. "My family is middleclass. People like the Malfoy's have twice as much money… maybe even more then we do."

"The Malfoy's?" Michael asked.

"Rich wizarding family," I said.

"Yeah well, to Ashley and me, you _do_ appear to be rich. You've gone all these expensive vacations, everything you own looks expensive… and to me, people like Ashley are rich, even though I know she isn't," Michael said. "But all of this… well it's more then I have, and I have a mother and father! And that bed, even though it's lumpy, well you should feel my bed then. It's worse."

"Well why is she making me look bad around her sister?" I asked. "She told her that I was rich. Now Jaime probably thinks I'm ungrateful."

Michael rolled his eyes as he sat down on the foam mattress.

"Did you tell your sister's and brother everything about us? Did you tell them about Ashley's living situation, Ellen's?"

Of course I had. My siblings had wanted to know all about my friends, so I'd mentioned everything I could. As I thought about that, I realized what Michael was trying to point out. So I decided to forgive Ashley for her rudeness.

Ashley didn't want to forgive me though. She snapped at me for the rest of the day. I was glad when people finally started to arrive so I could get away from her. There were a lot of pretty girls there that night, some even prettier than her sister, but there was something about her…

I'd never liked a girl before, sure there were some I'd found pretty. However, I hadn't really thought much about it. Jaime was beautiful, talkative, happy-go-lucky and smart. She was everything that her sister wasn't. I had to wonder why she wasn't magical. Ashley was a good friend, but I wished as I spent the night hanging around Jaime, that it had been her with the powers.

We hung around a group of people that was mixed of girls and boys. They were all older than me of course, there were a few people that were seventeen. Jaime was certainly a popular girl. None of the people were there for Ashley, except Ellen, Michael and I. Even her mother had more friends than her. I felt bad for her, and I guessed it was lucky after all that she'd come to the wizarding world so she could have some friends.

"So where is this school you go to?" One of the girls asked me.

"It's far from here," I answered.

I actually wasn't sure where Hogwarts was. It was in Scotland, I knew that, but other than that I wasn't sure exactly where.

"Okay, but where is far from here?" The girl repeated and giggled.

"Somewhere in Scotland, no one knows where," I said.

"It's kind of a secret school…" Jaime stepped in. "Basically, they were invited to study there, and they take a train out there. There is a lot of secrecy involved though because you have to have a certain _gift_, in order to go there."

I had to hand it to her, she knew how to lie. Perhaps it was something that her mother had taught the girls. Either way, it pleased me that she could come with something so quickly.

"And Ashley is gifted?" The girl asked in a skeptical voice.

"Yes," Jaime said in an icy voice. "Renee, you've never really known Ashley so what do you know?"

"Well come on, she is anti-social, she spends all her time with her nose in a book. The people in her class thought she was a freak."

"She's not anti-social at Hog- at our school," I said feeling annoyed.

Why was the girl so arrogant? She wasn't even that pretty, even though she had a guy hanging off her. He was smirking as she made fun of Ashley.

"She has plenty of friends, and she is very talented," I finished.

"She just had to find herself," Jaime added. "I guess at her new school she has."

She looked very pleased with me because I had defended her sister. She gave me a very grateful smile, and then leaned over and kissed my cheek. I felt as if I had missed a step on a staircase when she did that. I felt dazed for the rest of the night. I had been kissed by prettiest girl I had ever met… did she like me as well.

The rest of the time went by quickly. All I could keep thinking about was that I had been kissed. What would it be like if she had kissed my lips? Would she date a younger guy? Was I good-looking enough for her? What if she found a boyfriend at her school? Could long-distance relationships work?

I was making my way to get a glass of soda (which I found out tasted delicious) for Jaime, when I bumped into Ashley.

"Have you been drinking?" She asked when I stumbled because I was still thinking about Jaime.

"No," I said and grinned. "Your sister kissed me."

I figured she'd be happy for me. I'd heard her comment to Ellen that she thought it was cute I liked Jaime. However, she looked shocked and then glanced over at her sister. Something irritated me at that point. She looked kind of annoyed… and her sister really cared about her. Ashley was always complaining about her sister, and yet Jaime had been defending her earlier that evening.

So when she called me strange for liking her sister, I got angry. She needed to learn to stop being so jealous of her sister. I said a few things I didn't really mean, but I couldn't help it. Her sister was a great girl, and all Ashley did was complain about her.

I must have went too far though, because suddenly she ran off crying, after she basically told me our friendship was over.

I figured I'd get Jaime's soda and then go talk to her, but someone suddenly grabbed me by the arm and shoved me out of kitchen, and into a corner where no one was around. I looked up at the person and saw it was Ashley's old baby-sitter, Rachel. She had an exotic kind of beauty, too bad she was too old for me.

"That's a great way to talk to a friend!" She said angrily. "I have to wonder why she calls you her best friend."

"Well she is always complaining about her sister when-"

"Of course she is going to complain about her sister! They complain about each other all the time!" Rachel snarled. "Sisters do that. I'm sure you do that… if you have siblings anyway."

I nodded.

"Well my sisters get on my nerves sometimes, and so does my brother!" I said. "We complain about each other all the time… but that's not the point. Jaime was just defending Ashley back there, and she doesn't seem to appreciate her sister."

Rachel rolled her eyes at me.

"Ashley would do the same thing in an instant if someone said something about Jaime. The thing is…. Ben?"

I nodded my head, I craned my head to see if I could find Jaime, but Rachel grabbed my chin and sharply turned my head to look at her. It hurt a lot; I glared at her as I rubbed my chin.

"You told your best friend that she was boring, whiny, and no good. What kind of friend are you?" Rachel asked.

"She's so jealous of her sister-" I began.

"Can you blame her?" Rachel interrupted.

"Well she called me strange because-"

"She was teasing. She thinks your crush on her sister is cute," Rachel interrupted again.

It was irritating me that she wasn't letting me talk, and defend myself.

"It's not a crush," I said.

"Jaime is a beautiful girl; a lot of boys get that way around her. Your friendship with Ashley should come _first_ though. You don't even know if you have a chance with her sister… but even if you did, you should not abandon your friends. You have a lot to learn mister. And I know Ashley can be whiny, I've known her since she was a baby… actually she is a lot better than she used to be, but to say the things you did was wrong. She didn't do anything. She was just teasing you because you like her sister, she wasn't saying anything against Jaime… so I don't know why you reacted that way… oh wait, yes I do. You're just a hormonal little boy who doesn't know any better."

"Okay, I really don't want to talk to you about this," I said feeling embarrassed. "I barely know you."

"Well, that's fine. Jaime and Ashley are like my younger sisters though, so I won't have _anyone_ insulting them. You don't know how many fights I've gotten into regarding Ashley… no one understood why she did all the strange things she did. Of course they still don't, and never will. However, she is finally with other witches and wizards so-" Rachel was saying but I stopped her.

"You know?" I asked. "You know what we are? She told you?"

"I told you, those girls are like my sisters. Her mother told my mother, who told me. Of course we were surprised that you existed, but it explained the weird stuff she did when she was little. And now that I know I can defend her better…."

I stared at her. Ashley had never mentioned Rachel until she introduced us earlier that day. I wondered why she hadn't when this girl knew about our world. She also seemed to love the girls like sisters, and they probably felt the same about her.

"So, is Jaime really her mother's daughter?" I had to ask. "It's obvious Ashley is… although she kind of doesn't look like her mother, and yet she does. Just not as pretty."

"You better not ever call that girl ugly!" Rachel said, and then she grabbed my arm and led me over to a shelf in the living-room.

She pulled out a brown thick book and opened it up. It was a photograph book, except the people in the pictures didn't move. It was really strange… why didn't they move around? Rachel flipped to the book, until she came to a wedding photo. Ashley's mother, who looked very young, and a man were in it.

"That's her dad," Rachel said. "She looks like both her parents. It's hard to tell which one she looks more like."

I stared down at the photos. She was right, it was hard to tell… but I was leaning more toward her father. Her parents were people who weren't too good looking… although her mother was on the pretty side. So it explained why she looked the way she did.

"And Jaime?" I asked.

"Jaime's father, I don't remember him too well. He was a lot older, and had his own kids who were grown. So when their mother, at eighteen, got pregnant he left. What she was doing with someone his age… anyway, Ashley's father decided to do the right thing and marry their mother. I remember both pregnancies though. I think Jaime looks a lot like their grandmother though."

"And Ashley said her dad died in a car accident?" I asked.

Rachel nodded sadly.

"He went out and bought the girls gifts… but never came home."

She put the photo album away and glared at me.

"You're twelve-years-old kid, if you get a girlfriend, it likely won't last at your age… and I doubt it would work out with you and Jaime. You're backgrounds for one are too different, and for another, you won't see each other enough. So you have to decide… are you going to continue to be a prat or are you going to try and make it up with someone who is supposed to be your best friend?"

I wanted to remain Ashley's friend, and as I thought about the entire day, I realized I had been a git. She hadn't done anything wrong, and I'd continued to treat her wrongly. And only because I thought her sister was beautiful. I also wanted to say yes to Rachel, because quite frankly I was scared of her.

When I nodded, she pulled me to the stairs, and stayed with me until we were outside Ashley's room.

"Go on," Rachel said when I hesitated.

I peeked in and saw Ellen and Ashley talking. It really didn't surprise me. They were both angry with me. I asked if I could be alone with Ashley, who automatically said no. Ellen thankfully left though.

I walked in and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry, I don't think your boring, or whiny… well sometimes you are, but not always. Anyway, I didn't really mean what I said," I told her.

I wasn't good at this.

"Until another beautiful girl comes along, and then you'll just either treat me or Ellen like crap again," Ashley said angrily. "I mean I invite you over here as my guest, and you complain from the beginning. You got angry because I mentioned to Jaime you had money… I didn't know you were going to fall in love with her. And then for the rest of the night, you goggle her. Then when I just kid around with you, you say all those bad things. Well, if that's the way you're always going to treat me when you like a girl, well then-"

I really didn't know what I was supposed to say to all this. All I could really admit was that I had been a prat and apologize. I didn't know how I could convince her that it wouldn't happen again. In the future, I would do my best, not to treat any of my friends that way again.

"Look, I really don't want to end our friendship. If I didn't want to be your friend, I wouldn't have made all that effort to help you in your classes. You told me that if you didn't do well that you wouldn't be able to come to Hogwarts. If I didn't care, I wouldn't have helped you. I'll make it up to you, I promise. I won't do it again, though," I said.

I really didn't want to plead with her. I wished she could just forgive me.

"All right…" Ashley said slowly. "And I'm not saying you wouldn't have a chance with my sister under normal circumstances, but since you're a wizard… well, I can't see it working out. She's accepted me, but I don't think she wants that lifestyle."

"Rachel told me that," I said.

"You talked to Rachel?" She asked.

I nodded and told her that her old baby-sitter had told me off for saying what I did.

"I thought she was going to hit me," I said.

"Rachel's always been very protective of my sister and me," Ashley said and smiled. "I didn't know she knew I was a witch though. I'm surprised my mom confided in her mother though. Our families are really close though. It's kind of funny actually… Rachel's mother baby-sat my mother, my mother baby-sat Rachel, and Rachel baby-sat us, and I imagine if she has kids, my sister or I will watch them…"

"She's really scary," I said.

Ashley nodded. "She once beat up a guy."

I could imagine. I laughed and then held my hand.

"Well, let's return to the party," I said.

She smiled and took my hand. I didn't realize it until that moment how relieved I was that we were still friends. If our friendship had ended, I had to wonder what would have happened with Michael and Ellen. Good thing for Rachel.

**Michael**

It was relief to be leaving my parents place for New Years. They had these friends who were into drugs, and I really didn't want to be around for that. Plus, it was freezing in the house. It would be nice to sleep somewhere warm. Oddly enough, my parents didn't notice. While I shivered under blankets, they just drank and laughed at the television.

Mum really did try, but it would be better if they just got jobs, and moved us into a warmer home. That wasn't going to happen though… dad had already explained that to me.

I tried to make the house look decent enough just in case Ben's parent's wanted to come in. I couldn't get rid of the smell though. It was something that had been there since we'd moved in. It wasn't going anywhere.

When I saw the look on Ben's face, I felt angry. Not everyone could have parents who had inherited money, and then worked at good jobs to expand the money. And apparently each of the kids had their own trust fund waiting for them. And he tried to tell us that he wasn't rich. Right…

At Ashley's place, it was obvious he wasn't impressed with the smallness of the place. Then he complained about the beds we had to sleep on. Hadn't he called Ashley selfish when she wouldn't wear glasses? He knew her mother didn't have any money. I thought they were doing well considering there was only one parent working. They had a new computer, and the internet.

It was actually kind of amusing trying to explain the internet to Ben and Ellen. I'd used it in school the year before, and Ashley owned it. However, they hadn't ever heard of it. For a while, before the guests showed up, we sat in the front of the computer and explained how it functioned to them.

"Muggles are smart," Ben said. "To come with something like this?"

"They aren't idiots," Ashley snapped at him.

She was still angry with him because of his comments about sleeping in an uncomfortable bed.

"I didn't say they were," he said. "It's just, this is really advanced. I mean, it has everything you need to know."

We decided to research witches and wizards on it… something Ashley said she'd already done. The internet really didn't have it right. There was information about the Salem Witch trials though. Apparently Muggle's tried to do spells though, and make their own potions.

"Muggle's also have psychics," I said.

"They probably aren't real though," Ellen said. "Seers in our world are rare."

We decided to search that next. Ben was surprised that Muggle's knew as much about Divination as wizards did. He explained to us that it was a class we could take at Hogwarts when we started our third year.

"Well, I suppose Muggle's have to pick up on a few things," Ben said. "Though their information on us aren't very good. And they think Merlin was just fictional, even though he wasn't. Also, Goblin's don't have wings."

"You should see the decorations for Halloween," I told him.

Ashley showed us chat lines next. Apparently she had been playing around on them over the holidays. Ben and Ellen were fascinated over the fact that we could talk to anyone around the world so easily. He got excited when we talked to a few American's, and some people in Australia.

"Muggle's certainly have come a long way," Ellen said impressed. "They manage to do so well without magic. I wish this stuff could work in our world, but it wouldn't. This computer would probably go haywire at Hogwarts."

"It wouldn't work at all," Ben said. "It probably wouldn't work in most wizards households. Although some Muggleborn parents do have those televideo things."

"Television," I said.

It wasn't much longer after that when people began to arrive. I was surprised about the amount of people that were there. I found a group of guys who had grown up with the girls. It would be interesting to find out more about Ashley's childhood. All I learned from though was what I already knew… she was a loner.

However, they started in on the video games they played. Although I didn't ever have a hope in owning one, I had played my fair share of them, so I was able to add in on the conversation about them. The girls did own a Nintendo Sixty-four, but there were some people already playing it. I sat down to watch for a bit, but didn't get a chance to play. They ended up turning it off, because people wanted to watch the count down later that night.

They were into the same music I was though… so I was able to keep up with that as well. It was kind of nice to still know some stuff about the Muggle world. I did enjoy magic, but I kind of missed this world as well. Actually, it felt as if the last four months had been a dream. I barely thought about magic once that night.

When the count down began, the guys I was standing with all decided to down their beers right at midnight. They weren't supposed to be drinking but apparently the adults had stopped paying attention hours ago. Ashley's mother certainly had. She was too busy drinking with the rest of her buddies to care. She kind of reminded me of my parents.

The guys left shortly after that, so I went looking for my friends. I found Ellen with a beautiful woman, who I vaguely remembered Ashley introducing me to.

"Ashley and Ben are fighting," Ellen informed me when I walked over. "We're making them make up."

"Michael," the woman said and smiled.

I nodded and smiled back. Ashley had introduced us, but I could not remember her name.

"Rachel was just telling me stories about Ashley's childhood," Ellen told me.

Oh right, Rachel the baby-sitter.

"Anyway, so the girls had run away to the creek… which isn't far from here. But they were angry because their mother wouldn't let them stay up past eight. So, they thought they'd run away from home. They came home when they were hungry though," Rachel said.

"Was Ashley always so… shy?" I asked.

Rachel nodded.

"I think it's because when they were kids, Jaime did all the talking for her. So when they were actually separated for school, it was harder for her to make friends. Ashley could talk very well, but when her sister was around, she was mute. And then over the years, she got used to being quiet and alone because Jaime made friends with everyone," she answered.

"She was definitely anti-social when she started school," I said and felt guilty when I remembered teasing her for it.

"I expect she was," Rachel said nodding. "But you three seem to have opened her up. She talks more to me then she has for a few years. And she seems happier. That's why Ben pissed me off."

They appeared at that moment, laughing like old friends. It was good to know they made up. It was hard to know what side I would have picked if they'd stopped being friends. I hoped it was decision I would never have to make for any of my friends.


	15. Ashley Jan to Easter Break

I'm getting of bored of first year now, so I am doing four different chapters of their point of views of Jan to Easter Break. Then I will do the same thing for the rest of the school year and summer. Still trying to decide how I'll do second year… might just do each term through their point of view. I don't have much planned for second year. I have third year and fifth, sixth and seventh year thought of. It's just second and fourth year I'm having problems with.

I got bored and made some dolls of some of the characters. And I asked someone to make a banner of the four main Hufflepuffs. Links are in my profile.

I also felt like putting the characters through the Harry Potter Mary-Sue test. Ashley and Michael were fine, Ellen is close to being one but is still redeemable, and Ben is a Gary-Stu. I'll see if I can fix his character a bit, but I kind of like the way he is. Then again, I'm just writing this for the fun of it, so I guess either way it doesn't really matter. And not many people get past the first chapter either…

**Ashley's POV of Jan to Easter Break.**

My mother had to work the day I went back to school, but my neighbour didn't. So she dropped me off at the train station. I was there rather early, about an hour or so before I was supposed to. So when I got on the platform, it was to find that the train wasn't there yet. I read one of my new books I got for Christmas until it did arrive.

I had trouble getting my trunk on the train by myself, but thankfully a seventh year boy decided to be nice and help. All the compartments were still empty, so he helped me find one and then put my trunk in the luggage rack. I continued to read while I waited for my friends to show up. I just hoped they would look around first before decided on a compartment.

Ben and Michael showed up before Ellen. Michael was in one of his moods, but Ben was talkative. He told me what he did for the rest of the holidays.

"Did I tell you that my sister Brenda actually has a boyfriend?" He asked me.

"Yes, one of your brother's friends isn't it? I don't see why you're surprised, she's pretty," I said.

"Not really," Ben said and frowned. "But she's boring though. I don't understand what Nick sees in her. I think Barry is sick of the pair of them. He came over almost every day, but he spent half the time with Brenda."

"But… Barry should be glad it's his friend shouldn't he? Brothers are usually protective of their sisters aren't they?" I asked.

Ben shrugged. "In a way I guess he's glad, but it annoys him because he doesn't get to spend as much time as he wants with Nick."

Other then the brief meeting I'd had before the holidays, I really hadn't met Ben's siblings. I really wished I could just to see what he meant by Brenda. She had seemed a bit snooty, but perhaps it was because she wanted to get going.

Although I didn't want to bring up New Years again, as I listened to Ben rant about his sister, I thought he was definitely hypocritical. Instead, I exchanged looks with Michael, and then looked out the window. There were many people on the platform, all saying good-bye. I saw the Andrew twins hugging their parents. Denver wasn't too far from them, saying bye to his parents.

Ellen eventually arrived and started complaining about her brother the moment she sat down.

* * *

It felt kind of strange to be allowed to do magic again when I wanted. We were past the basics in all the classes, so everything was a lot more fun once the term began. Defense Against the Dark Arts was kind of a let down though since we were no longer dueling. It was interesting to learn about dark creatures though I think Michael felt the most let down about the change. He had enjoyed dueling.

Not too much happened in January. One Saturday afternoon, towards the end of the month, Ben came in to announce that Slughorn was having another party. Naturally I believed I would be going with him. Michael and Ellen had already been invited for the first two.

"I don't know who to invite though," Ben complained.

He'd been telling us about it, while Michael and I played chess and Ellen worked (for a change) on a Herbology essay. I looked up sharply.

"It's my turn, isn't it?" I asked as one of Michael's pieces knocked one of mine off the board.

"Well it's a Valentine's party," Ben answered. "So I can't really bring you. I think you're supposed to invite a date."

I was trying to remember why I had forgiven him at New Years when he was going to do things like this. I glowered as I concentrated on chess. Michael ended up beating me, but I didn't care. I was so angry that I got up and left the Common Room. What was wrong with him just taking me as a friend? It wasn't as if he would start dating the girl he took there anyway.

As I wandered through the corridor's, I tried not to cry. I hated being me. Why couldn't I be born pretty? My sister was beautiful, so why wasn't I? Why did my best friend have to be ashamed to be seen with me? As I rounded a corner, I walked right into someone.

"Should watch where you're going."

It was Denver. I just glared at him and kept going after muttering an apology. He however turned to walk with me.

"What are you so angry about?" He asked.

"Look, I'm really not in the mood for you right now," I snapped at him and sped up to get away from him.

"It's funny how you wanted me to forgive you and yet every time I talk to you, you get all snitty," Denver said keeping pace with me. "What was the point in getting yourself in detention then? Of course you made it up, but still."

"I wanted you to stop hexing me," I said. "We've been over this before."

I had actually forgiven Denver long ago, but I didn't think that he could change that quickly. How could he go to hating me and wanting me dead, to wanting to be my friend? I figured he wanted to gain my trust so that he could just betray me. I would never forget how he had pointed to me when the teacher turned to see who had disarmed him.

"True," Denver said.

We walked through the corridors in silence after that. I didn't know what he wanted, but I didn't feel like arguing with him anymore.

"You must be avoiding someone…" Denver finally said. "You're not with your friends, so I guess you must be angry with one of them."

"You've guessed correctly," I said and then before I could stop myself, I blurted the whole story out to Denver.

"Well, if you want to go to one of his parties so badly, you can come with me. I'm one of his newest recruits, and I wasn't too keen on taking Morgan. Claire is the only girl I can stand in Slytherin. She is already part of the club. The only other girls I talk to from other houses are the Andrew twins, and they are part of the club as well," he said.

For a moment his words didn't register with me. And then when they did, I grew angry. So he was going to keep playing around with me. I knew if I were to accept, he would laugh in my face. He was just that kind of person. I glared at him.

"Why do you have to keep bothering me?" I asked.

"Bothering you? I just invited you to come to Sluggy's stupid party with me. You were just complaining that you want to go one, and Hoofer won't take you. I don't want to show up to a Valentine's Day party with a guy, and since you are the only other girl I talk to, I thought I'd be nice and invite you…" He said just as angrily.

I didn't say anything at first. Should I say sure just to get over with? Would he pretend until the party that he was taking me, and then show up with another girl? I'd watched a lot of movies, and read a lot of books. Boys pulled those kind of tricks on girls like me all the time.

"How do I know this isn't a trick?" I asked him.

"Why would it be a trick? You can come as my guest, and then ignore me for the rest of the night if you want. Or you can turn down the invitation… or you can even say yes and try to be friendly. Even though your friend is being a prat… I'm sure I'd have him and Henson on my back if it was a trick though, and Ellen kind of scares me as well. Claire would also hurt me if I did that," he said.

"I just… don't understand you," I said. "You went from hating me and wanting me dead, to… this?"

Denver stared at me and raised an eyebrow. We had paused in the corridors.

"You're raving… I wanted you dead? I was angry because you threw fire at me and got away with it," he said. "I never wanted you _dead_ though. That's a bit extreme don't you think? Are you always this paranoid?"

"But you said… back when you told me I shouldn't be in Hogwarts because I was dangerous. You said you'd wished my birthday had been in August instead of September," I said thinking back to our past conversations. "You told me I was too dangerous for Hogwarts and that I shouldn't be here…"

"You threw _fire_ at me," he said. "At the time, I was still pissed that you got away with it. All you did was say _oops _at first. Then Professor Fraymen just lectured you about using the right spell. Neither one of you seemed to have realized the damage you could done to me. I never once said I wanted you dead though."

"Denver, if I'd been born in August, I would be dead, and so would my family," I said. "I would have tried to come last year, and I would have had to try and prove my blood status."

"Oh…" He said slowly. "I mean, I knew that… but I wasn't really thinking about it too much at the time."

I just stared at him… but then I thought about the whole fire throwing incident. Of course I'd know the damage that it could have caused, but I hadn't thought about it too much. I'd felt bad about it, and then he had pointed out to me the one day in the corridors, just how bad it could have been. I gave a small nod, and then continued to walk thinking about it. Perhaps I had him all wrong.

"I'm really not a bad person," Denver said as if reading my thoughts. "People do things they normally wouldn't do when they're angry. And I've done enough damage don't you think?"

"I guess," I said. "It's just odd you go from hating me to wanting to take me to a Valentine's party."

"I don't like you in that way," Denver said.

I blushed.

"I know that… I just meant, you wanted nothing to do with me before," I answered and kept my head down so that my hair covered my face.

"You're trying to make me say it…" Denver groaned. "All right, I feel bad for hexing you all the time. That's why I am doing this. I hate admitting to things like that. And for your information, it was Sheila Andrew's idea. Not the party thing, but trying to be your friend. If you don't believe me, ask her. She and Shelly said I should."

"Do you do everything they tell you to do?" I asked him.

"They have good advice," he answered embarrassed.

I would definitely be asking them about it then. They were too nice to go behind a person's back, so I agreed I'd go with him. Later I would find them to find out exactly what the conversation between them and Denver was. I knew he wasn't going to admit to anything else that day.

I didn't have to wait for long to ask them. When I went into one of the bathroom's (not the second floor's with Moaning Myrtle) I found them laughing together by the sinks.

Immediately, I told them everything he had told me. They both nodded as I washed my hands.

"Well he was very angry that you had thrown fire at him," Shelly said.

"And we have to agree, even if it was an accident… I mean, I'd be angry too. I just think he want too far with hexing you every chance he got," Sheila added on.

"Denver agreed with us after you pleaded with him to forgive you. So after he pulled that stupid stunt on you, we told him he should be your friend. He didn't want to at first. But we told him that you had apologized several times. And then you got into detention with Fraymen," Shelly continued.

"I think he must have thought about it more, and said he did feel bad for hexing you. So I told him that he should just stop acting childish and put it behind him. I mean, he hexed you, and got you into detention… which is where he wanted you to be in the first place. I told him try being friends with you just to prove he was past it. And he's tried," Sheila said. "I'm surprised he asked you to the party though. He was about to give up on it because you kept giving him the cold shoulder. He said he had better things to do."

"The hat told us that we need to try and unite now that the war is over because everyone did last year. So far the older kids are doing it, but we first years aren't. So Sheila and I decided that we should help it along. We've been making friends with the Slytherin's, though it's been hard, but we've managed with a few of them. And then we thought we'd help you and Denver along as well."

I nodded. The twins seemed like people who wanted to be friends with everyone. I had caught that on the train. They had a point though; the houses did need to be friendlier with each other. So far, the Hufflepuff's, Ravenclaw's and Gryffindor's had been trying with each other. However, everyone was still shunning the Slytherin's, except for Claire Parkinson.

"I see your point I guess," I said. "And we might as well try now so we can make an example for next year."

The twins both nodded.

"Exactly. It's going to happen slowly, but maybe in ten or twenty years from now, there will only be a friendly competition between the houses instead of this… the hat wants it after all."

"It would be nice if it were sooner though," Sheila said. "But these things can't happen overnight. We're here because of the Battle of Hogwarts, we might as well try. We owe it to those who died."

I went back to the Common Room later that evening thinking about what the twins had said. There was still a feud between the houses, but it could change if we kept trying. I really hoped everything could change. The hat was right as well. If the houses could unite during the war, then why couldn't they afterward? Wouldn't it be better to always work together? Maybe there wouldn't be so much prejudice when our kids came to Hogwarts if we made that extra effort.

Ben and Michael were playing chess together when I entered. Ellen was still working on her essay. Something had changed in her since the holidays. Although she hated doing homework, she put more effort into it.

"I'm really sorry," Ben said to me when I sat down. "I promised you that I'd take you to the next party, and I will. I wasn't really thinking earlier."

"Oh don't worry about it," I told him. "I'm going with Denver."

"What!?" He shouted.

* * *

  
Valentines Day was on a Sunday, but Slughorn's party was on a Saturday night. Ellen was going with Ben because he hadn't been able to find anyone else to go with him. It surprised me, but I later learned from Michael that he had been too scared to ask any other girl.

Down in the dormitory, we got ready together. Melanie and Sarah were going as well (Melanie didn't care about inviting a girl to go with her) and asked us if we wanted to wear makeup. I had never worn it before. My sister had tried getting me to, but I refused. However, Ellen convinced me I should.

"You and Denver both deny it, but it's technically a date," she told me. "He isn't a friend of yours."

"But we're twelve," I said knowing full well that we were at the age that people did start to date.

Ellen gave me a look that told me she knew I knew that.

"Well then, it's a date for you and Ben as well," I said.

"Not really. He's my best friend. Actually, Jared asked me if I wanted to go with him, you know. I would have gone with him if Ben hadn't asked me. _That_ would have been a date."

"Hopefully he doesn't drink too much tonight," I muttered.

I really didn't want to wear makeup, but Melanie and Ellen threatened to hold me down while Sarah put it on me. She was doing it anyway because I had no idea how to. She was going to do Ellen's for her as well. The other three girls, Anne, Erica and Jess watched jealously.

"I thought Jared would have asked me at least," Anne said in a sulky voice. "He asked Zoey from Ravenclaw though."

"I can't believe you're going with a _Slytherin_," Jess said to me.

"Believe me, neither can I," I said.

"Stop moving," Sarah commanded.

Usually after girls or women put on makeup, they looked prettier. So I hoped when I looked in the mirror that I would look better. I was disappointed to see that there wasn't much of an improvement. It was my nose and cheeks I decided. My nose was too big, and I had chubby cheeks, so my face was kind of boyish. I had no cheekbones at all. I wondered why since I wasn't fat… I looked down at myself. My sister always complained that she wished she had my body.

While she wasn't overweight, she wasn't thin either. Actually, I envied her curves even if she had a belly. My body had no curves to speak of, which made me even more boyish looking. I stared down at where my breasts were supposed to me. Why wasn't I born a boy?

Even though Ellen was only eleven, once Sarah had her face made up, she looked beautiful. It was odd how she could childlike one moment and then at least thirteen the next.

Ben, Ellen and I left together. I was surprised he didn't ogle her the way he usually did with my sister. The other boys, like Michael had. He didn't pay any attention to her though. He just glared at me. He was very angry that I was going with Denver. He spent the last few weeks reminding me of what the boy used to do to me.

In the Entrance Hall, where Denver was waiting, he scowled even more.

"You look okay," he muttered as he stared down at the floor.

"Thanks," I said.

Were boys supposed to say _okay_ though? I decided not to dwell on it. I was just excited to be going to a Slughorn party at last. He seemed very embarrassed, and it was kind of funny. Although I hoped it wasn't going to turn out to be a trick… something the twins had promised me wouldn't be.

I'd been in Slughorn's office a few times before, and it had always been regular sized. However, it must have been magically altered or something. It was a lot bigger than what I was used to. It was decorated in red, pink and white. There were paper hearts in those colours falling from the ceiling. I had to wonder if it was a charm doing it, because I couldn't see where exactly they were dropping down from. It was as if they were appearing out of thin air.

"Er, I'll get us some pumpkin juice then," Denver said and took off quickly.

I looked around for Ellen and Ben who had separated from us as soon as Denver walked over to me.

"He was fine until the others started making fun of him," someone said in my ear and I jumped.

I turned to see Morgan and Claire grinning at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Denver," Claire explained. "He was fine about taking you as a friend. And then the guys started teasing him that this was a date. He got really embarrassed."

"He nearly backed out," Morgan said and Claire hit him.

"The girls were teasing me about that as well," I said. "We're just here as friends though."

I couldn't even imagine dating… and I didn't count this as a date. The twins had told me that Denver wanted me to be his friend. If Ellen and Ben weren't here on a date because they were here as friends, then that meant Denver and I weren't here on a date either. As if anyone would ever date _me_. I'd probably never have a boyfriend… or else I'd be my mother's age before I got one.

"Well he might act all strange tonight," Morgan said. "I'm actually surprised he invited _you_ though."

"Me too," I said.

Denver returned not with juice, but with bottles of something. I had to wonder if this was the butterbeer that my friends had told me about. I thanked him, and took it. When I took my first sip, I couldn't believe how delicious it was, and it gave me a nice warm feeling. I took another drink quickly.

Ben, Ellen and the twins joined us a while later. Ben seemed very reluctant until he started to talk to Morgan and Denver. After a while, they were talking as if they were old friends. As the night wore on, more first years joined us. Later as I sipped butterbeer, I realized that people from all four houses were standing together talking and laughing. No one was fighting. In fact, the only first years who had been invited to Slughorn's party who didn't come over were Don and a Slytherin girl named Delilah. They stuck with some older Slytherin's.

After a while, Ben, Ellen and I went to go talk to his older siblings. Brenda wasn't around, but Barry and Breanne were talking in a group.

"It's the firsties," a boy said when we approached.

"Have two of your girlfriends with you _this_ time?" Barry asked. "I suppose 'cause it's Valentine's and all you couldn't leave one behind."

"Shut up," Ben said. "They're just my friends. I don't want a girlfriend until I'm older."

"Probably because he can't get your sister," Ellen muttered in my ear.

I laughed. I think Ben heard because he blushed.

"Hi," Breanne said to me. "We didn't really get a chance to meet before the Holidays. Ben told me that you're a Muggleborn. Do you like Hogwarts so far?"

I nodded.

"I really like that I can do magic," I answered feeling shy. "And I've made some great friends."

"Including Denver," Ellen said and laughed.

I frowned at her before I looked around for him. He was with the Andrew twins, laughing. When he started to go on real dates, I wondered if he would date them. What if he liked one twin over the other? What if they both liked him? Sheila put a hand on Denver's arm, and then pointed across the room to Slughorn.

"Don't you feel jealous at all?" Ellen asked me with a smirk.

"Not really," I said.

Should I feel jealous? We'd both agreed that we were coming as friends. He appeared to be very good friends with the twins. I also really didn't like him in that way. Sure I thought he was kind of cute, but I still couldn't forget the first term. I was sure it was something he'd never be able to forget either. I figured we'd always have a truce between us, and that was it.

"Oh, who?" Breanne asked, who had been watching us.

"Denver," Ellen said and pointed him out.

"Ooh, he's cute," she said. "Slytherin though."

"We came as friends," I explained. "Although, technically we _aren't_ friends. We didn't get along last term, but we've decided to call it a truce. He wanted to make up for hexing me, and he knew I really wanted to come tonight, so he invited me."

"I think he's in love with the twins anyway," Ellen said. "He's always with them. Odd, Slytherin and Gryffindors."

"Well, they are trying to unite the houses," Ben said.

"They're going to have a hard time doing that. There is still too much resentment," Barry said. "I think there is more of a truce than anything… but it won't last long."

"It might," Breanne disagreed. "Only time will tell."

We spent the rest of the time talking to them. Brenda was off dancing with Nick, so I really didn't get a chance to talk to her. Barry liked to make fun of Ben a lot. He spent most of the night pointing out different girls since Ellen and I weren't good enough for him.

* * *

The rest of February went by without much happening. There was another Quidditch game with Hufflepuff, and we won that game. I didn't really understand the rules of Quidditch, but according to Ben and Ellen, they had to win the next game too, and by a lot of points.

"It's not very promising though," Ben said. "Gryffindor has really racked up the points."

"Next year," Ellen said. "We'll bring Hufflepuff a win."

"Hufflepuff hasn't won in over twenty years," Michael said. "You two think you'll be the ones to bring in a win?"

"Well, Ginny Weasley will gone next year. I think most of Gryffindor wins are because the Weasley's were on the team, and Potter as well. They're all excellent players. Plus, Gryffindor had Oliver Wood and Angelina Johnson… well; they've had really good people."

"The people on their team now aren't bad," Ellen said.

Michael and I looked at each other. They were both good at flying, but did they really think they were good enough to be on a team? And if they did make the team, did they really think they would be the ones to bring Hufflepuff a win after twenty years? We smirked at each before looking back down at our homework.

My grades weren't too bad. I was still struggling a lot in Potion's, but at least what I made was no longer a smelly mess. Professor Slughorn told me I still had a ways to go, because if it was OWL year, he'd be marking most of mine as P's. I figured at the beginning of the year, I would have been making potions that would be marked at T's though.

The rest of my classes I figured that at least I was passing. By that point, all I cared about was passing the first year. I wasn't like Ben who wanted to be the top of the year.

Denver and I really didn't talk after Slughorn's party. He would nod to be in the corridors, but we rarely spoke in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He sat on the other side of the room with Morgan and Claire.

March was a quiet month as well. My mother's birthday was then, she turned thirty-three, so I sent her home a small gift. I also made a card with some of the flashy magic I knew. The candles on the picture actually flickered. Ben wanted to help make it sing Happy Birthday, but I wanted it all to be come me. The end result was that it sang, but the words got mixed up, and it was high pitched.

She sent me a note thanking me a week later.

_Thanks for the card, it was interesting… but how do I get it to stop singing? It's just getting louder and louder._

I wasn't sure how, but Ben wrote instructions on how to get it to stop non-magically.

"Told you that you should have let me help," he told me.

At the beginning of April, Professor Sprout called me to her office. She was having meetings with all the first years.

"Easter term will be beginning in a week," she told me. "After that, we don't have too many weeks of school left. Your teachers will be teaching you some new material, but mostly you'll be going over what you learned this year."

I nodded. Most of the teachers had informed us that.

"At the moment, your grades are just above passing, and I would like to see you raise them. Practice all the spells and charms you've learned as much as you can. Study your notes, and come for help if you need any. The last exams of the year will tell me if you're ready for the second year."

"Should I study a lot over the Easter holidays then?" I asked her. "I'll be at home."

"Yes, do what you can over the holidays. Most of the homework you'll receive will be review anyway. I'm pleased that your grades have gone up reasonably since September, but I'd like to see them go up by the end of the year. Next year, you'll be past all the basics. You'll have to remember what you learned this year."

"I'll do my best then," I said. "Ben's helped."

"Well, while I approve him helping you out, I'd like to see you work on your essays without using his notes," she told me.

I was surprised she knew that he sometimes wrote out notes that I should include in my essays. Professor Sprout must have noticed my surprise.

"I can tell the difference between your work, and Mr. Hoofer's. I'll be having a word with about that as well, since it seems that he does that with Ms. Perenge and Mr. Henson as well."

"What classes do I need to catch up in?" I asked. "I know I'm fine in Charms."

She was looking down at a long piece of parchment on her desk.

"Potions, Transfiguration, my class, and Astronomy. The other three are at a reasonable level."

On my way from the meeting, I bumped into Morgan who had become considerably friendly, even before Denver had. After he and Morgan told people that they didn't actually hate Muggleborn's, he was friendly with me if we spoke.

"Hey, Claire and I were thinking of doing something for Denver's birthday," he told me. "He'd going to be thirteen, so we thought we'd hold a get together in the Room of Requirement."

"Thirteen?" I asked. "But… he's in the first year."

"His family went into hiding last year," Morgan said. "So needless to say, they weren't impressed when they found out how he was behaving here. Neither were my parents, actually. Anyway, we're thinking the first week of the holidays, if you could bring Ben and Michael-"

"We're all going home for the holidays," I told him. "Why are you holding it then anyway?"

"That's when his birthday is. Half the Slytherin's are staying here, so I didn't know about anyone else. Ask Jared if you see him what he is up to," Morgan said.

"He might not want to go," I said. "But I can ask."

I didn't know Jared to well, but I knew he didn't like Slytherins, other than Claire and Morgan. He didn't like Denver or the rest. So I wasn't sure if he'd want to go to a party with them.

When I went back to the Common Room later, I found him with Hank and Stan. I was still shy around the rest of the boys in Hufflepuff because I barely talked to them. I didn't think I was a big fan of Jared's. Stan and Hank greeted me when I walked over, but Jared just glanced up before looking away.

"Er, Morgan Elliot asked me to ask you if you wanted to go to a party for Denver," I said. "It's during the Easter holidays. I think he'll give you the details."

"I'm not going to a party for a slimy snake," Jared said. "I can _tolerate_ Morgan and Claire… but no one else from there."

I had to wonder if there would be many people there, besides the Slytherin's for it. Turning thirteen seemed like a big deal. I wanted to do something with my friends for it. Would no longer be a kid, but a teen, I'd been looking forward to it for as long as I could remember.

Rachel and her friends always seemed like really cool teenagers, and Jaime was one too. Maybe once I was one as well I wouldn't feel so insecure. I'd be instantly cool because all teens were cool… at least that's the way it seemed it worked.


	16. Moving on to a blog

A/N: I'm just posting to let the people know who have out me on alert, that I am moving this story to a blog. In fact, it's already posted over there. I have my own reasons for not continuing it on here anymore. It's not because of my two haters who send me annoying PM's either. If you were following this, and you would like to continue to read it, I can tell you in PM where to find it. I am going to delete this chapter when I come home. Right now I'm not at home. My two haters, yes, feel free to PM me as well to get the address. I don't want to forget about you. :D I'll leave this story up for a while, but eventually it will be deleted, and I'll just use the blog.

I'm going to be updating my other stories on this account soon. Anyway, PM me if you want the address to the new location.


End file.
